The First Tortilla: A Bilingual Story

by Rudolfo Anaya

Book Overview

A small Mexican village is near starvation. There is no rain, and the bean and squash plants are dying. Jade, a young village girl, is told by a blue hummingbird to take a gift to the Mountain Spirit. Then it will send the needed rain. Burning lava threatens her, but Jade reaches the top of the volcano.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826342140
• ISBN13: 9780826342140
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.3" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 7 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 4

Customer Reviews

An ingenious retelling of a traditional Mexican folktale

The First Tortilla is a bilingual English/Spanish picturebook about a small Mexican village on the brink of starvation due to lack of rainfall. A young girl named Jade received a message from a blue hummingbird, telling her to bring a gift to the mountain spirit. Jade embarks on a journey to the top of the volcano, braving burning lava; the mountain spirit is pleased with her gift, and allows the ants in a nearby cave to share their corn with her. Jade uses the dry corn and water to make dough, and cooks it to create the very first tortilla. An ingenious retelling of a traditional Mexican folktale, vibrantly illustrated by prize-winning cultural activist Amy Cordova.