Reviews : From School Library Journal : PreSchool-Grade 2?An adaptation of a Spanish folktale that explains the origin of weather vanes. The hatching of a chick with only one wing, one leg, one eye, and half the usual number of feathers raises quite a stir on a colonial Mexican ranch. All of the attention encourages the vain Mediopollito, Half-Chicken (as he is called), to seek his fortune. He encounters, in turn, fire, water, and wind and assists each of them during the course of his trip "to Mexico City to see the court of the viceroy!" In return, the elements come to the fowl's aid and Half-Chicken finds his rightful place in the scheme of things. The repetitive and predictable nature of the tale makes it an appropriate read-aloud choice. The translation retains the meaning and flavor of the original Spanish, which appears alongside the English on each double-page spread. The folksy and brightly colored illustrations, "inspired by the patterns and texture of Mexican murals," provide lively and interesting visual information. While the characters are at times a bit caricatured, this title remains a good addition to folklore collections.?Graciela Italiano, Weber State University, Ogden, UT

From Booklist : Ages 4-8. Hip hop hip hop, Half-Chicken is off to Mexico City to see the court of the viceroy. Along the way, he helps the stream, the fire, and the wind, and they, in turn, help Half-Chicken when the viceroy's cook tries to turn him into chicken soup. Finally, the wind blows Half-Chicken to safety atop a palace tower. "And from that day on, weathercocks have stood on their only leg, seeing everything that happens below, and pointing whichever way their friend the wind blows." Ada gives her riotous retelling of this traditional folktale about the vain but helpful Half-Chicken a flavorful colonial Mexican setting. Howard matches the frolicsome mood and Hispanic setting with exuberant and glowing illustrations inspired by the patterns and textures of Mexican murals. Presented in a bilingual format and brimming with silliness and the simple repetition that children savor, this picture book is a jewel that will add a spicy sparkle to any folktale collection. Annie Ayres.

“Noted translator and writer Ada has set her bilingual retelling of this traditional tale from Spain in colonial Mexico. As the humorous rather off-beat story opens, a mother hen hatches a chick with “only one wing, one leg, only one eye, and only half as many feathers as the other chicks.” Half-Chicken, as he comes to be known, gets a swelled (half) head from all the attention he attracts and decides to travel to Mexico City to show his uniqueness to the viceroy. Off he hops, stopping on his urgent quest only to unblock a stream impeded by branches, fan a small fire that is about to go out, and untangle a wind caught up in some bushes.”

“Half-Chicken finally reaches the viceroy palace, but instead of the hero’s welcome he expects, the little rooster is greeted with jeers and ignominiously thrown into a kettle on the kitchen fire. The good deeds Half-Chicken performed on his journey, however, literally get him out of hot water: the grateful fire tells the water to jump on him and put him out, and the water complies. Then, tossed out of the window by the frustrated cook, Half-Chicken is again rescued, this time by the wind, who blows him to the top of a tower. There, transformed into a weather-vane, he is forever safe from cooking pots. Ada’s liberal use of repetition, especially in describing Half-Chicken’s gait –“hip hop hip hop” –and the convention of the three helpers keep this rather unusual story grounded, with Howard’s vibrant, jaunty illustrations, rich in warm reds and golds and lively with pattern and texture, move the story forward with great energy. Her humorous depiction of poor scrawny Half-Chicken is particularly successful. ” (M.V.P., The Horn Book. November/December 1995)

“A traditional Spanish folktale set in Mexico stretching the tale of a vain half-chicken who becomes a weather vane. Written in both Spanish and English (with full text in both languages), it is a welcome addition to the  bilingual shelf. It is also a wonderful tale, painting the humor and delight of Mexico for those who cannot read or speak Spanish.” (“Pick of the Lists”, American Bookseller Magazine. August 1995)