American children's author Eric A. Kimmel and Argentine illustrator Valeria Docampo join forces in this picture-book retelling of a traditional folktale from Spain. Born from a half egg, Medio Pollito is a little half-chicken, with one leg, one wing, one eye and half a comb. Determined to see the king, he sets out one day for Madrid, helping a number of entities - the water, the fire, the wind - along the way. When he gets into trouble in the city, these elements come to his aid, and he eventually finds his purpose as the weathervane atop a grand cathedral...

I have enjoyed many folktale retellings from Kimmel, and Medio Pollito: A Spanish Tale is no exception. The story is rather bizarre, but no more so than many traditional stories, and the eponymous half-chicken makes for an engaging hero. Young readers and listeners will enjoy his journey to Madrid, just as they will be drawn in by Docampo's colorful, humorous artwork. I appreciated the fact that Kimmel included a brief note, although I would have liked to know more about his source. Leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts. ( )

With the aid of his friend that he helps on his journey, Medio Pollito travels to Madrid.
Wind, water, fire chick speak, 3 friends helped and made along the way, story retold by the author
Medium: acrylic and pencil

It was interesting to hear in the author’s note that the traditional version of Medio Pollito is a very naughty half-chick and he doesn’t meet a nice end. This story was much happier and shows that even though you may be a little different, you can still be strong and courageous. It also talks about never giving up on your dreams. I think this book would be a great addition to a folklore unit. It would also be a good one to use for SEL lessons.

Summary: This is an old literature piece from Spain that parents would tell their children. It is the story of a strange half egg that when hatched is a half chick. No one believes that he will amount to much. They definitely do not believe that he will reach his goal of meeting the king and hopping all the way to Madrid. He does indeed try, on his journey he makes friends with water, fire and wind. When in Madrid an evil cook tries to cook the chick in a pot. All the elements rescue him. His friend wind takes him to a high weather vein where he can see the entire city. The chick decides to stay their forever, always looking at everything he had only dreamed of seeing.

Uses: Clearly great to use if exploring other cultures and stories. It also would be a great use to show students that they should never give up.

Genre: Folktale- This book is about a spanish folktale and is a wonderful tale that was apart of the spanish communicate.

Media: Acrylic & Pencil

Summary: This children's story is a spin of an old Spanish folktale based on the creation of the weather vane. It is about a chick who is born differently from his siblings and his dream to journey to Madrid to see the king. He eventually decides to take this journey by himself and has encounters with the elements of nature-water, fire, and wind. He helps these elements and in return they help him when he encounters a problem with the king's chef. Because he is not able to achieve his dream, the wind takes him to the highest peak of Madrid, where he falls in love with the view and ends up staying forever- hence the creation of the weather vane.

Argument: This was my first time reading this book and I really enjoyed it. I believe it has very important elements that make it a great read for children. First, it is a multicultural book that allows children to read about the folktales of another culture. It is important for children to read these types of books and gain a worldly perspective. Also, this book contained Spanish words and phrases which not only may relate to children in the classroom but allow the students to immerse themselves in another language. For example, on page 21 it says, " "It's me your friend, Agua, the water!" the water in the pot replied". I also liked that the book contained action words such as "hop step, hop step" to show that Medio Polito had a disabilitity and walked with a different sound. I also like that it reached out to children who are different and may have special needs because Medio polito had a disability as well. The last thing, I really enjoyed was how the book showed the different elements of water, fire, and wind in different forms. For example, at first the water was in the river and then it was in the pot. Also, at first the fire was in the forest and then it was on the stove. This book overall was a great read for younger children.
I also found many themes throughout this story. First, I found that no matter what you look like or where you come from, you can still accomplish your dreams. Medio Pollito followed his dream even though no one believed in him. Also, another theme is that when you treat people the way you would want to be treated-others will do the same for you. Medio Polito helped the elements and in turn they helped him right back. The last theme I found was that the things you are searching for may not always be the things you are looking for. Medio Pollito went on his journey to find the king but instead found himself with a new dream of watching the town from above. Things did not turn out the way they were supposed to but it didn't mean it was not a good thing. ( )