Medio Pollito

PreS-Gr 2—Kimmel has adapted a traditional story into a more palatable tale for young children. In this version, a chick is born with "one leg, one eye, one wing, with half a comb and half a beak," but does not let his appearance slow him down. He is determined to see the king in Madrid and sets off "hop-step, hop-step, hop-step" down the road. On his way he saves a stream, some fire, and the wind from various calamities and they tell him to call on them if he ever needs help. When the royal cook puts him in a pot for the king's dinner, his friends save him and "viento" the wind carries him up to the tallest spire on the cathedral where he becomes a weather vane. The original story is darker with a selfish Medio Pollito who rejects the three when they need help and ends up blackened in the cook's pot before being set on high as a warning to others. But the ending stays the same. The bold and lively illustrations are done in acrylic and pencil and the protagonist is endearing. While this version gives the positive message of good deeds being rewarded, readers familiar with folk literature might not recognize this half-chick.—Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT