The Three Little Tamales
Tía Lupe and Tío José and their taquería in Texas are back, and this time Tía Lupe is making her famous tamales in this “Three Little Pigs” takeoff. The three tamales are encouraged to run for their lives by a runaway tortilla rolling by. Since the little tamales do not want to be eaten, they flee and seek safer places to live. The first tamale runs to a prairie where she builds a casita out of sagebrush. The second tamale builds his casita out of cornstalks. The third tamale finds herself in the desert where she builds a casita out of a cactus with prickly thorns. All is well with the tamales until Señor Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, comes calling at their doorsteps, threatening to blow their casitas from “here to Laredo.” Docampo’s oil-on-paper illustrations add dimension to the story and bring the three little tamales to life. An excellent addition to collections of fairy-tale retellings. Grades K-3. --Shauna Yusko