Federico and the Wolf is a modern-day twist on the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood." This story would be considered a "talking animal and trickster tale" type of folklore. Federico, the main character, is a little boy with a red hoodie who plans to visit his grandfather, Abuelo, after going to the market to buy ingredients to make pico. With his red hoodie on and his bicycle basket full of food, Federico is ready to visit Abuelo at his store, la tienda. While in the woods, Federico is stopped by a hungry wolf, un lobo. As in the original fairytale, the wolf has plans to have a snack. Once at his grantdfather's store, Federico notices his grandfather bears a distinctive resemblance to el lobo. Fortunately, Federico is quick on his feet! He drives the wolf away, finds Abuelo locked away, and he and Abuelo celebrate with a homemade salsa.
I enjoyed the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the story. There is a glossary at the back of the book to help with meaning and pronunciation of the Spanish words. As an added bonus, there is a recipe for pico de gallo at the end of the book. Even with the foreign vocabulary and twist to the characters, this retelling follows the same premise as the original plot. The text is filled with rhyme and would be a great read-aloud when identifying rhyme in text. The illustrations are colorful and entertaining for a young reader. The wolf is appropriately scary for the age-group that will most likely be reading the book.
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Two of Everything is the retelling of a Chinese folktale. This story would be considered a "fairytale" folklore due to containing magic in the story. Mr. and Mrs. Haktak are an older, poor, farming couple. When Mr. Haktak brings home a large pot he discovers in his garden, the couple's life takes a twist.
The couple accidentally discovers the pot is a magic pot when Mrs. Haktak drops her hair pin into the pot and pulls out two identical hair pins. The story continues with additional accidents with the culmination of two identical Mr. Haktak's and Mrs. Haktak's.
The story line is simple and engaging for a young reader. The couple solves issues in simple, naive ways; in which a child would think would make sense. The illustrations in the book are whimsical, while still being realistic and paying homage to Chinese illustrations. The characters are depicted in an almost caricature or doll-like manner, which adds to the comical, yet wisdom-filled story.
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Both books are different types of folklore. Federico and the Wolf exhibits several attributes of quality folklore. There is rhythm and rhyme weaved throughout the text, while also reflecting the Mexican culture of the retelling. The illustrations do complement the storyline and add to the cultural detail. Likewise, Two of Everything also exhibits attributes of quality folklore. The story reflects the Chinese culture, not only in text, but also through the illustrations. As for differences, Federico and the Wolf has animals talking and the theme seems to be good prevailing over bad/evil. In Two of Everything, there is magic with the magic pot, while still exhibiting resourcefulness and the value of a simple life.
