Review of THE RUNAWAY TORTILLA by Eric Kimmel

Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric A. 2000. The Runaway Tortilla. Ill. by Randy Cecil. New York, NY: Winslow Press. ISBN 9781890817183


Plot Summary
Tía Lupe and Tío José are proprietors of a popular Mexican restaurant in a Texas border town. Tía Lupe, known for her infamously light tortillas, gets a shocking surprise when one of her tortillas leaps from the griddle and makes a mad dash for freedom. Exclaiming, “I’m too beautiful to eat!” the vain little tortilla begins her rolling journey across the barren Texas plains. Tía Lupe and Tío José chase after their rebellious creation while she tauntingly says, “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!” Over and over she rolls, passing two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five rattlesnakes, and so on. Each creature is in hot pursuit of the runaway tortilla, and each is taunted by her repetitive “Run as fast as can be” anthem. Finally, the little tortilla reaches the edge of a canyon, or arroyo. There she is met by a sly fox who implores the tortilla to help dislodge a grasshopper from his throat in exchange for great treasure. Reluctantly, the tortilla rolls into Señor Coyote’s throat when “Snap!” the runaway tortilla makes a beautiful little snack for the coyote.



Critical Analysis
Eric Kimmel found inspiration for The Runaway Tortilla from the folktale of The Gingerbread Man. Keeping instep with the classic repetitive rhyming catchphrase of the original tale, Kimmel’s runaway tortilla arrogantly teases her pursuers. This singsong type of rhythm quickly captures the attention of children, who are apt to sing along with the tortilla as she rolls through the Texas sand. Kimmel enhances his story with rich multicultural elements such as using the Spanish titles of Tío, Tía, Señor, and Señorita for his characters. He also gives us splashes of Spanish vocabulary on prominent objects such as the restaurant’s name, El Papagayo Feliz. Kimmel sets his tale in a sleepy Texas border town, but quickly shows that the pace of the story is anything but slow. He brings the reader along on a suspenseful quest as Tía Lupe and Tío José run after the runaway tortilla. He also incorporates elements of counting and prediction as the children count the increasing number of pursuers and wonder which one will finally catch the floured fugitive.


Randy Cecil is a cowboy hat-wearing illustrator who hails from Houston, Texas. His Texas influence flows through his paintbrush, creating images of cowboys, cacti, and open plains. He playfully paints the words of the tortilla’s taunting catchphrase like a ribbon that winds delicately around the characters on the pages. Soft muted hues of orange, green, blue, and yellow sweep the scenes as the tortilla with the red painted lips spins across each page. The humorous notion of a runaway tortilla who thinks she is too beautiful for consumption combined with pleasing illustrations is sure to make Eric Kimmel’s story a tale worthy of folklore for generations to come.


Review Excerpts
Kirkus: “How sad. How delicious!”
School Library Journal: “The primitive oil paintings feature a palette of sunset colors, a rotund T'a and T'o, and a lipsticked, scowling tortilla.”
The Midwest Book Review: “Eric Kimmel's Runaway Tortilla pairs Randy Cecil's zany drawings with the take-off on the classic.”


Connections
*Can be used to compare and contrast traditional folktales with contemporary works.
*This is a perfect addition to a multicultural library in the classroom.
*Can be used in teaching thematic units such as Texas, cultural food, or folk stories.
*Students could write their own creative version of a classic story.