The Fisherman and the Turtle

The Fisherman and the Turtle

ISBN	9780761453871

Specifications

9" X 9"; 32 pages; Full-color illustrations

Author(s)

Eric A. Kimmel

Illustrator(s)

Martha Aviles

Interest/Age Group

K-3

Ages

Ages 4-8

List Price

US$ 16.99

About the Book

In the days of the Aztecs, a fisherman and his wife live in a hut by the sea. One day, the fisherman captures a green turtle, a god in disguise. The turtle grants him a wish in exchange for being released. The fisherman asks simply for four fishes. When his wife finds out, she’s furious. Why didn’t he wish for a stone house so they could be rich? Three different times, she sends her husband back to the turtle. On each visit, the fisherman asks the turtle to grant the ever-more demanding wishes of his greedy wife. But one day, the wife goes too far and asks to be a god. And she does become like the other gods in Tenochtitlán —a statue carved from stone! Martha Aviles’s illustrations rendered in acrylics and liquid watercolors capture the flavor of Aztec art and culture.

ERIC A. KIMMEL is a master storyteller who has adapted, retold, or written more than eighty tales. He visits schools all over the world, entertaining children with his banjo while telling them stories from different cultures. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Doris. Learn more about the author at: http://www.ericakimmel.com/

Also by Eric A. Kimmel:

Cactus Soup

The Great Texas Hamster Drive

The Three Cabritos

MARTHA AVILES lives with her family in Mexico City. She has illustrated Amelia’s Show-and-Tell Fiesta and is working on the illustrations for a new story about Quinceañera.


	Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book 2008

The Fisherman and the Turtle

"The vivid colors of the acrylic-and-watercolor illustrations and pages bordered with motifs from Aztec art give the tale an authentic flavor. A good choice to introduce children to a culture underrepresented in picture books." —Booklist, April 1, 2008

"Aviles uses acrylics and liquid watercolor, as well as motifs from Aztec art, in the brightly patterned illustrations. She changes the placid, blue-green sea in the opening pages to a truly frightful place at the end. Kimmel reminds readers that "the great turtle still swims in the sea" and asks what they might wish for. Pair this story with Margaret Read MacDonald’s The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle (August House, 1997) or a version of the Grimm brothers’ "The Fisherman and His Wife" for an interesting exploration of the same folktale in different cultures." —School Library Journal, May 2008