Tiny Tortilla

Tiny Tortilla

Written by Arlene Williams

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Dutton Children’s Books, 2005

32 pages

Multicultural – Mexican

            Juan Carlos has been working in the garden all morning, and he is so hungry.  All he can think about is eating a delicious tortilla made by the old woman in the plaza.  He is not quite finished working, but he sneaks down to the plaza to buy a tortilla.  Sadly, all of the tortillas are gone, and this makes Juan Carlos very upset.  Thankfully, the old woman has a small ball of some special dough for occasions such as this.  She is too tired to make the tortilla, but she shows him how to pat it flat.  She tells Juan Carlos not to take a bite out of the tortilla until it is completely ready.  She instructs him to pat it three more times after he thinks it is ready, and then see what happens.  Will Juan Carlos follow the old woman’s instructions?  What will happen to the tortilla after three more pats?  Read Tiny Tortilla by Arlene Williams to find out!

            G. Brian Karas did a wonderful job illustrating this book.  I could not find the artistic medium that he used for this book, but I did find his favorite medium to use is pencil.  I assume that is what he used to draw these illustrations, and it appears that he used watercolors to add color to them.  He uses both singles and doublespreads to display his artwork in this book.  These illustrations are very fitting for the tone that is set with the text, and they are very appealing to children, the audience this book is intended for.  I really enjoyed Karas’s artwork in this book.

            This book could be used in classrooms ranging from second through fourth grade.  There are quite a few Spanish words interspersed throughout the book, so it could be used to teach simple Spanish vocabulary.  It could also be used as a character education lesson to teach patience – good things come to those who wait.  Juan Carlos had to practice patience and self-control to keep from eating the tortilla until it was finally ready.  Since he waited, he got more than he ever expected.  This book could also be used when discussing the weather and landscape in Mexico.  There are many descriptions of the weather and landscape throughout the book, making it a good choice for this use.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I think it would be a great addition to any classroom.