Big Bushy Mustache - Hardcover

Gary Soto

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067998030X ISBN 13: 9780679980308

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1998

Synopsis

It's almost Cinco de Mayo, and Ricky's class is going to put on a play to celebrate the festive Mexican holiday. When asked to choose his costume, Ricky picks a big, bushy mustache, just like his dad's. He's tired of everyone telling him he looks like his mother.  After all, he's a boy--he wants to look like his Papi. Although he's supposed to leave it in school, Ricky wears the mustache home, reveling all the way in how grown-up it makes him feel. But by the time he gets there, the mustache is gone, and Ricky dreads having to tell his teacher what happened. Lucky for him, his Mama and Papi have a plan. Ricky is delighted the next morning when his Mama hands him a new big, bushy mustache--fresh from the smiling face of his clean-shaven Papi! With humor and tenderness, Soto evokes a warm celebration of both the beloved tradition of Cinco de Mayo and the strong bonds of love between father and son.  

About this title

About the Author

Gary Soto is a writer whose work for children ranges from poetry to short stories to novels.  Among his well known books are Baseball in April, A Fire in my Hands, Taking Sides, and Too Many Tamales.   Mr. Soto lives in Berkeley, California.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-For his class's Cinco de Mayo play, Ricky, about six years old, turns down swords, pistols, a cape, a sarape, a sombrero, and other accoutrements for a fake mustache so he can play the role of a victorious Mexican soldier. With the bigote, the boy feels that he looks just like his father. Disobeying his teacher, Ricky sneaks the prop out of school and loses it on the way home. After spending an anxious evening trying to make another one, he prepares to face the music. It is then that his father delivers a clever solution. Soto sprinkles a few Spanish words into the English text. While buenos dias and gracias aren't too tough and even the meaning of bigote can be inferred, other terms, such as the informal contraction mi'jo, may be a bit of a challenge for those unfamiliar with the language. Cepeda's brightly colored, expressive acrylics will appeal to children, who will laugh at the teacher sporting pointy-rimmed eyeglasses, as well as at the improbable, oh-so-happy ending.
John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 067998030X
• ISBN 13: 9780679980308
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Joe Cepeda