The Three Little Tamales

Kimmel, Eric.  2009.  The Three Little Tamales.  Ill. by Valeria Docampo.  Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish Children.  ISBN 0761455196.

From a taqueria in Texas, three little tamales make their escape. The first builds her home in the prairie out of sagebrush. The second builds with cornstalks in a cornfield, and the third builds her home in the desert out of thorny cactus. Señor Lobo then comes along to huff and puff “like a Texas tornado” at each of the homes in an attempt to eat the tamales. In the end, it is not bricks, but thorny cactus that thwarts his attempts, and Señor Lobo comes in through the chimney to be trapped in a pot and threatened with becoming a wolf-tamale! He runs away, and all is well for the three little tamales who throw a fiesta with their tortilla friends.

The Three Little Tamales by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Valeria Docampo is a version of The Three Little Pigs in which three tamales are personified. Based in Texas and including many strong Hispanic cultural references, this story is retold in a way that will delight those familiar and unfamiliar with this story. The text flows easily and is enticing with its cadence and directness.

Throughout, Kimmel uses Spanish vocabulary intermixed with the English text; in the beginning of the book, there is a glossary of Spanish terms provided for readers’ use. For reading aloud by a novice of the Spanish language, this glossary is particularly useful because of its phonetic spelling of the unfamiliar words.

Being a storyteller himself, Kimmel’s use of rhyme enhances the experience of The Three Little Pigs for generations of Hispanic-American children who may not relate to the traditional tale. Particularly in Texas, children hearing this story in addition to or apart from the conventional tale will not be at a disadvantage.

The themes in the book remain the same as in the traditional telling: good vs. evil, and good wins with the help of a well-lain plan. The tamales are simply a part of both Texas and Hispanic heritage, and the re-telling does not include stereotypical characters to which any could take offense. The incorporation of Spanish words in the English book is a sign of the shift in Texas demographics, and in no way should be interpreted as a belittlement of Hispanic cultures.

The pictures are colorful, fun and cartoonish in nature; Docampo expresses the wide-open spaces that can be found in Texas effectively and without leaving the formatting too loose.  This book would be well-suited to coincide with a celebration of Hispanic-American culture, Texas-themed curricula or a study of variations of traditional literature.

“An excellent addition to collections of fairy-tale retellings…” (Booklist/March 2009)

“The colorful artwork combines with a text brimming with humor and sound effects ("Ay! Ay! Ay!") for a delightful parody sure to satisfy readers' appetite for fun.” (Scool Library Journal/June 2009)