Jalapeno Hal - Softcover

Harper, Jo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1571682066 ISBN 13: 9781571682062

Publisher: Eakin Pr, 1997

Synopsis

Rough and tough Jalapeno Hal finds a way to bring rain to a dry Texas town

About this title

Review:

A sizzling Texas tall tale, JALAPENO HAL, is designed to make children and adults giggle together. The story is set in Big Bend and Presidio. Hal, who is "tough as a boot, tough as nails, tough as a horned toad's hide in summer" roams the country astride his mustang, Cayenne, and goes into Presidio, which he finds a mite too crowded, only when he has to. The sole person in Presidio who isn't afraid of Hal is the boy, Kit. Kit rides a pony called Pepper, and like Hal, walks tough and eats jalapeno peppers.

A drought devastates Presidio; folks can't even talk to each other, their throats are so dry. Hal and Kit contrive to bring rain. To do so, they use jalapenos in a surprising--and hilarious--way. There are other problems: Hal's heart is stony; Kits needs a father figure. In saving Presidio, these problems are solved, too.

Harris's illustrations are basic to the fun. She uses deep, vivid colors and bold line work. Designed for ages 4 to 7, the book has been chosen as a November selection of the Book-of-the- Month Club. -- Wayne Gunn, Chairman of the Department of Language and Literature at Texas A & I University Corpus Christi Caller- Times, Sunday, August 29, 1993

From the front cover to the last page, tastes and smells of those hot jalapeno peppers. Jalapeno is one hot Texas -- "a rough, tough cowboy...as tough as a boot...as tough as nails"-- jalapeno breath and all. Jo Harper's words and Jennifer Beck Harris' bright and bold illustrations are like good picante salsa and chips--an unbeatable combination. One is compelled to turn the page to see what comes next, verbally and visually. This book is good fun, and Jalapeno Hal and his antics are bound to become a favorite to those who may not even like hot peppers. JALAPENO HAL is a selection of the Children's Book of the Month Club. -- Andrea N. Karlin, Review of Texas Books, Fall and Winter, 1993

From Publishers Weekly:

Wickedly spicy jalapeno peppers are not for the meek, but cowboy Jalapeno Hal--hero of Harper's zesty debut--eats them like regular folks eat potato chips. When Hal moseys into downtown Presidio on his trusty horse Cayenne, everyone stays out of his way, for not only is he "the toughest hombre in Texas"--he has "mean breath . . . scorching-hot breath." Still, a boy named Kit admires Hal, and when a drought hits Presidio, Kit and Hal remedy the situation with Hal's favorite snack. This development creatively--if unscientifically--introduces the concept of condensation: rain-producing steam streams from the townspeople's noses and ears after they eat Hal's peppers. Despite his unorthodox methods, ornery loner Hal is the classic cowpoke and Kit has the enviable role of sidekick; girls, however, are excluded from this elite range-riding set, and Kit's demure mother does nothing more adventurous than weed the garden. Harris ( The Day the Lifting Bridge Stuck ) contributes polished illustrations of wavy black outlines and sunset-brilliant colors. Initial caps are branding irons, cacti or barbed wire, as befits the Western motif. Although Harper's debut treads familiar turf--and offers little to aspiring cowgirls--it will satisfy latter-day Davy Crocketts and encourage a craving for the piquant. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Eakin Pr
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1571682066
• ISBN 13: 9781571682062
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Harris Jennifer Beck