The Gingerbread Tortilla Essay -- Culture Cultural Papers

The Gingerbread Tortilla Since the mid 1900’s, readers have enjoyed the story of The Gingerbread Man in the original as well as its modified forms. The story has been modified to newer versions, and told from perspectives of different cultures. In the original versions, gingerbread was used as the main character with the story beginning with an old European/American lady baking gingerbread. Now, in the 21st century, children have less and less experience with making gingerbread in their homes and we are receiving an influx of children from other cultures. Therefore children are not familiar with what gingerbread taste like or why the farmer and the animals in the original versions would want to chase the gingerbread man. This calls for a modified version of a classic folktale, which is what the Rollaway Tortilla is all about. Most children living in the United States have at least been to Taco Bell, or because of the influence of Mexican Americans have tasted a tortilla and so can relate to Kimmel's new version of the gingerbread man. In his new book, Kimmel restores the old folktale into a Southwestern Texas tale The Rollaway Tortilla. Kimmel, and his illustrator, Cecil make the tale come alive with its vitalizing language, authentic Texan illustrations, and design of the book. Eric A. Kimmel wrote a southwestern Texas version that will not only draw an interest of Mexican American, and Texan children, but all children living in the United States. The Rollaway Tortilla begins in the desert of Texas at a Taquerà ¬a near the Rio Grande. Instead of making gingerbread, Tà ¬a (Aunt) Lupe makes the best light and soft tortillas in town. The tortilla, just like the gingerbread, does not want to be eate... ...will enjoy this book and use it to introduce areas such as history, poetry, geography, cooking, counting for the younger audience and language. Language and math components of the story can be used for reinforcement at www.winslowpress.com. As a folktale, The Rollaway Tortilla shows its excellence in that it meets the qualifications of authenticity, uses repetition and rhythm, and it includes conflict and action. It uses real Texan scenery and animals one would find in that part of Texas, and the use of the Mexican folklore animal, the coyote. At the end the coyote’s tricks keep the readers in suspense as to what will happen to the tortilla. With the SNAP of the coyote, the story ends, and so lives on the song of the tortilla: â€Å"Run as fast as fast can be. You won’t get a bite of me. Doesn’t matter what you do. I’ll be far ahead of you!†