Hayes, Joe. Grandpa’s HAL-LA-LOO-YAHambone! ‡ Lopez, Antonio Castro, Illus. Picture Book. Cinco Puntos, 12/2016. [32]pp. $16.95. 978-1-941026-54-0, PB 7.95 978-1-941026-55-7. OUTSTANDING. GRADES PRE-2.
A poor Caucasian American bean farming family sells crops to purchase a hambone which is shared among several neighbors in this extraordinary tall tale about recycling. “But because my mom was such an economical person, she didn’t leave the hambone in the pot the whole time the beans were cooking. She just left it in there long enough to give a little flavor to the beans, and then she took it out and hung it on the clothesline to dry.” When Grandpa loses his dentures down a well, the hambone acts as bait to fish it out again. Detailed painted illustrations are realistic and vividly capture facial expressions and farm life. Readers will delight in this ridiculous read-aloud by master storyteller Joe Hayes. An excellent choice for a tall tales unit or a class visit.
Dayni Kuo, Oakland Public Library