Armadilly Chili
Armadilly Chili
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Perma-Bound Edition ©2004--
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Albert Whitman
Just the Series: AV2 Fiction Readalong   

Series and Publisher: AV2 Fiction Readalong   

Annotation: In this Texas-style adaptation of a traditional folktale, a tarantula, mockingbird, and horned toad refuse to help an armadillo prepare a batch of chili, but nevertheless expect to eat it when it's ready.
Genre: [Fairy tales]
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #17706
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Common Core/STEAM: Common Core Common Core
Publisher: Albert Whitman
Copyright Date: 2004
Edition Date: 2004 Release Date: 01/01/04
Illustrator: Terry, Will,
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: Publisher: 0-8075-0458-0 Perma-Bound: 0-605-55982-1
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-8075-0458-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-55982-0
Dewey: 398.2
LCCN: 2003014855
Dimensions: 22 x 28 cm.
Subject Heading:
Folklore. Texas.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

Yee haw! This Texas-style takeoff on The Little Red Hen bubbles with southwestern flavor. Miss Billie Armadilly is hankerin' for a pot of hot armadilly chili but her friends--tarantula Tex, bluebird Mackie, and horned Taffy the toad--have excuses for not helping her gather a boxful of beetles, pick a peck of peppers, and chop prickly pear cactus. No workin' with Billie, no sharin' the chili, is Miss Billie's retort when the smell of the bubbling chili brings her friends to her door, but the chili tastes flat until her buddies return bringing sacks of apologies and goodies; friends, it seems were the missing ingredient. Ketteman flavors the tale and message with plenty of pizzazz. Terry uses hot, intensely saturated, southwestern colors to spice the comedy, and embellishes each critter's characteristics with clever details, such as Tex's bolo tie. A surefire hit for the lap-sit crowd.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

Those who consider "The Little Red Hen" too cold-hearted will welcome this revision, in which Billie Armadilly feels guilty about not sharing her chili with three friends who wouldn't help her make it. The twangy text ("No workin' with Billie, no sharin' the chili!") only rarely goes overboard. Despite the garish hues, the careful paintings capture the brooding mood and Texas setting.

Kirkus Reviews

Little Red Hen goes to Texas. A Blue Norther puts Miss Billie Armadilly in the mood for some chili, but when she asks Tex the tarantula, Mackie the bluebird, and Taffy the horned toad to help gather the requisite beetles, jalapenos, and prickly pear, they make excuses. So, it's "No cookin' with Billie, no sharin' the chili!" when the dish's scent draws the miscreants to her door. But despite its savor, the chili tastes "flat as a Texas prairie" to Miss Billie—until her now-repentant buddies reappear, bearing dishes of their own, to share it. Terry debuts with big Southwestern scenes, laid out in swirls and curls of rich color, through which his characters, decked out in western wear (that's a Stetson and four pairs of boots for Tex), saunter stylishly until gathering at Billie's hacienda to chatter the chilly night away. Despite the lack of a recipe—with or without beetles—here's a tale guaranteed to warm the bones on a cold night. (Picture book/folktale. 7-9)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-When the winds of a Texas "blue norther" bend cactuses to the curves of the desert hills, Miss Billie Armadilly decides to make a pot of chili. Modeled after the Little Red Hen, the task-focused armadillo asks for assistance from Tex the tarantula, Mackie the bluebird, and Taffy the horned toad, but all three are too busy to help. Ever resourceful, Miss Billie single-handedly gathers a bunch of beetles, picks a peck of peppers, chops up prickly pear cactus, and cooks up her specialty. That evening, her hungry pals ask for a taste, but she tells them, "No workin' with Billie, no sharin' the chili!" However, when the proud and somewhat angry armadillo sits down to eat, she sadly discovers one precious ingredient missing from the concoction-the love of her friends. Terry's vibrant cartoon artwork adds personality to Billie and her large-eyed companions. Done in jewel tones, the scenes depict the warmth of the desert landscape as well as that of the creatures' friendship. The rhythmic text reads aloud well and the dialogue has a western flavor. Pair this variant of the classic story with Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel's Cook-a-Doodle-Doo! (Harcourt, 1999) to spark a discussion of colorful characters in traditional tales.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)
Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)
Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Word Count: 711
Reading Level: 2.9
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.9 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 78971 / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:3.5 / points:2.0 / quiz:Q36879
Lexile: AD600L
Guided Reading Level: L

2005-2006 North Carolina Children's Book Award Master List
2007 Arizona Young Reader Award Picture Book Master List
2005 Winner, Storytelling World Award
Children's Books Top Picks, Southwest Books of the Year 2004
2005 Texas Library Association's 2 x 2 Reading List


A blue norther's a-blowing', and Miss Billie Armadilly is hankering to make a pot of chili! Only she needs to fix it all by herself because Tex the tarantula, Mackie the bluebird, and Taffy the horned toad are too busy to lend a hand. Well, she'll eat it all by herself, too! But then the smell of chili cooking in the cold night brings her friends one by one back to Miss Billie's door. What's a lady armadillo to do?


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