Mediopollito - Half Chicken, Del Sol Books

Author : Alma Flor Ada, Illustrator : Kim Howard
Preschool - 2nd Grade

Mediopollito - Half Chicken

Mediopollito - Half Chicken, Softcover, Bilingual, Book, Alma Flor Ada, Kim Howard, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780613021999, Out-of-Print :(

American Booksellers Association, Pick of the List
America's Commended List
American Folklore Association, Aesop Accolade
Center for Latin American Studies, America´s Commended List

Have you ever seen a weather vane? Do you know why there is a little rooster on one end, spinning around to let us know which way the wind is blowing?

Well, I'll tell you. It's an old, old story that my grandmother once told me. And before that, her grandmother told it to her. It goes like this...

A long, long time ago, on a Mexican ranch, a mother hen was sitting on her eggs. One by one, the baby chicks began to hatch, leaving their empty shells behind. One, two, three, four ... twelve chicks had hatched. But the last egg still had not cracked open.

The hen did not know what to do. The chicks were running here and there, and she could not chase after them because she was still sitting on the last egg.

Finally there was a tiny sound. The baby chick was pecking at its egg from the inside. The hen quickly helped it break open the shell and at last the 13th chick came out into the world.

Yet this was no ordinary chick. He had only one wing, only one leg, only one eye, and only half as many feathers as the other chicks.

It was not long before everyone at the ranch knew that a very special chick had been born.

The ducks told the turkeys. The turkeys told the pigeons. The pigeons told the swallows. And the swallows flew over the fields, spreading the news to the cows grazing peacefully with their calves, the fierce bulls, and the swift horses.

Soon the hen was surrounded by animals who wanted to see the strange chick.
One of the ducks said, "But he only has one wing!"

And one of the turkeys added, "Why, he's only a ... half-chicken!"
From then on, everyone called him Half-Chicken. And Half-Chicken, finding himself at the center of all this attention, became very vain.

One day he overheard the swallows, who traveled a great deal, talking about him: "Not even at the court of the viceroy in Mexico City is there anyone so unique."
Then Half-Chicken decided that it was time for him to leave the ranch. Early one morning, he said his farewells, announcing:

"Good-bye, good-bye!
I'm off to Mexico City
to see the court of the viceroy!"

And hip hop hip hop, off he went, hippety-hopping along on his only foot.

Half-Chicken had not walked very far when he found a stream whose waters were blocked by some branches.

"Good morning, Half-Chicken. Would you please move the branches that are blocking my way?" asked the stream.

Half-Chicken moved the branches aside. But when the stream suggested that he stay awhile and take a swim, he answered:>

"I have no time to lose.
I'm off to Mexico City
to see the court of the viceroy!"

And hip hop hip hop, off he went, hippety-hopping along on his only foot.

A little while later, Half-Chicken found a small fire burning between some rocks. The fire was almost out. "Good morning, Half-Chicken. Please, fan me a little with your wing, for I am about to go out," asked the fire.

Half-Chicken fanned the fire with his wing, and it blazed up again. But when the fire suggested that he stay awhile and warm up, he answered:

"I have no time to lose.
I'm off to Mexico City
to see the court of the viceroy!"

And hip hop hip hop, off he went, hippety-hopping along on his only foot. After he had walked a little farther, Half-Chicken found the wind tangled in some bushes.

"Good morning, Half-Chicken. Would you please untangle me, so that I can go on my way?" asked the wind.

Half-Chicken untangled the branches. But when the wind suggested that he stay and play, and offered to help him fly here and there like a dry leaf, he answered:

"I have no time to lose.
I'm off to Mexico City
to see the court of the viceroy!"

And hip hop hip hop, off he went, hippety-hopping along on his only foot. At last he reached Mexico City.

Half-Chicken crossed the enormous Great Plaza. He passed the stalls laden with meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheese, and honey. He passed the Parian, the market where all kinds of beautiful goods were sold. Finally, he reached the gate of the viceroy's palace.

"Good afternoon," said Half-Chicken to the guards in fancy uniforms who stood in front of the palace. "I've come to see the viceroy."

One of the guards began to laugh. The other one said, "You'd better go in around the back and through the kitchen."

So Half-Chicken went hip hop hip hop around the palace and to the kitchen door. The cook who saw him said, "What luck! This chicken is just what I need to make a soup for the vicereine." And he threw Half-Chicken into a kettle of water that was sitting on the fire. When Half-Chicken felt how hot the water was, he said, "Oh, fire, help me! Please, don't burn me!"

The fire answered, "You helped me when I needed help. Now it's my turn to help you. Ask the water to jump on me and put me out."

Then Half-Chicken asked the water, "Oh, water, help me! Please jump on the fire and put him out, so he won't burn me."

And the water answered, "You helped me when I needed help. Now it's my turn to help you." And he jumped on the fire and put him out.

When the cook returned, he saw that the water had spilled and the fire was out.

"This chicken has been more trouble than he's worth!" exclaimed the cook. "Besides, one of the ladies-in-waiting just told me that the vicereine doesn't want any soup. She wants to eat nothing but salad." And he picked Half-Chicken up by his only leg and flung him out the window.

When Half-Chicken was tumbling through the air, he called out: "Oh, wind, help me, please!"

And the wind answered, "You helped me when I needed help. Now it's my turn to help you."

And the wind blew fiercely. He lifted Half-Chicken higher and higher, until the little rooster landed on one of the towers of the palace.

"From there you can see everything you want, Half-Chicken, with no danger of ending up in the cooking pot."

And from that day on, weathercocks have stood on their only leg, seeing everything that happens below, and pointing whichever way their friend the wind blows.

Author’s Note : As a young child I loved listening to my grandmother tell this story. Later this tale became a favorite for my children. Whenever I go, I look for weather vanes, since Half-chicken supposedly was the first weather vane. I enjoy seeing how many different shapes people have thought for this friendly artifact to tell the direction of the wind. One of my dreams is someday to travel around the world taking pictures of all the different weather vanes.

Listen to Vienna Rose read Half-Chicken to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children. And here's an earlier reading by Vienna Rose.

Reviews : From School Library Journal : PreSchool-Grade 2 An adaptation of a Spanish folktale that explains the origin of weather vanes. The hatching of a chick with only one wing, one leg, one eye, and half the usual number of feathers raises quite a stir on a colonial Mexican ranch. All of the attention encourages the vain Mediopollito, Half-Chicken (as he is called), to seek his fortune. He encounters, in turn, fire, water, and wind and assists each of them during the course of his trip "to Mexico City to see the court of the viceroy!" In return, the elements come to the fowl's aid and Half-Chicken finds his rightful place in the scheme of things. The repetitive and predictable nature of the tale makes it an appropriate read-aloud choice. The translation retains the meaning and flavor of the original Spanish, which appears alongside the English on each double-page spread. The folksy and brightly colored illustrations, "inspired by the patterns and texture of Mexican murals," provide lively and interesting visual information. While the characters are at times a bit caricatured, this title remains a good addition to folklore collections.?Graciela Italiano, Weber State University, Ogden, UT

From Booklist : Ages 4-8. Hip hop hip hop, Half-Chicken is off to Mexico City to see the court of the viceroy. Along the way, he helps the stream, the fire, and the wind, and they, in turn, help Half-Chicken when the viceroy's cook tries to turn him into chicken soup. Finally, the wind blows Half-Chicken to safety atop a palace tower. "And from that day on, weathercocks have stood on their only leg, seeing everything that happens below, and pointing whichever way their friend the wind blows." Ada gives her riotous retelling of this traditional folktale about the vain but helpful Half-Chicken a flavorful colonial Mexican setting. Howard matches the frolicsome mood and Hispanic setting with exuberant and glowing illustrations inspired by the patterns and textures of Mexican murals. Presented in a bilingual format and brimming with silliness and the simple repetition that children savor, this picture book is a jewel that will add a spicy sparkle to any folktale collection. Annie Ayres.

“Noted translator and writer Ada has set her bilingual retelling of this traditional tale from Spain in colonial Mexico. As the humorous rather off-beat story opens, a mother hen hatches a chick with “only one wing, one leg, only one eye, and only half as many feathers as the other chicks.” Half-Chicken, as he comes to be known, gets a swelled (half) head from all the attention he attracts and decides to travel to Mexico City to show his uniqueness to the viceroy. Off he hops, stopping on his urgent quest only to unblock a stream impeded by branches, fan a small fire that is about to go out, and untangle a wind caught up in some bushes.”

“Half-Chicken finally reaches the viceroy palace, but instead of the hero’s welcome he expects, the little rooster is greeted with jeers and ignominiously thrown into a kettle on the kitchen fire. The good deeds Half-Chicken performed on his journey, however, literally get him out of hot water: the grateful fire tells the water to jump on him and put him out, and the water complies. Then, tossed out of the window by the frustrated cook, Half-Chicken is again rescued, this time by the wind, who blows him to the top of a tower. There, transformed into a weather-vane, he is forever safe from cooking pots. Ada’s liberal use of repetition, especially in describing Half-Chicken’s gait –“hip hop hip hop” –and the convention of the three helpers keep this rather unusual story grounded, with Howard’s vibrant, jaunty illustrations, rich in warm reds and golds and lively with pattern and texture, move the story forward with great energy. Her humorous depiction of poor scrawny Half-Chicken is particularly successful. ” (M.V.P., The Horn Book. November/December 1995)

“A traditional Spanish folktale set in Mexico stretching the tale of a vain half-chicken who becomes a weather vane. Written in both Spanish and English (with full text in both languages), it is a welcome addition to the bilingual shelf. It is also a wonderful tale, painting the humor and delight of Mexico for those who cannot read or speak Spanish.” (“Pick of the Lists”, American Bookseller Magazine. August 1995)

“Alma Flor Ada’s Medio Pollito/Half-Chicken spins a Latin-American version of a Spanish tale explaining why weather vanes stand on one leg. English is one side of the double pages. Spanish on the other. A chick is born with only one wing and leg: a half chicken. He decides he is important enough to go to the viceroy’s court in Mexico City. On the way he helps some water, fire, and wind. When he ends up in a cooking pot in the viceroy’s palace, the elements help him escape to a rooftop, where he remains. Repeated themes will read well aloud. Kim Howard’s mixed-media double-page scenes present stylized details, often having the look of batik on cloth.” (Library Talk. May/June, 1999).