The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding

Author: Alma Flor Ada
Publication Date: 1996
Type of Book: Author Study Picture Book

This story is about a rooster getting reading for his uncle's wedding. On his way to the wedding he realizes how hungry he is. He notices a kernel of corn on the ground but it is in a muddy puddle. The rooster tried to resist the kernel because he didn't want to get his beak dirty but his hunger won the battle. The rooster ate the kernel and his beak became very dirty. He asked a piece of grass if it would clean his beak for him The grass said, "No I won't. Why should I?" so he continued on his way. When he saw a lamb he asked if the lamb would scare the grass to clean his beak. This pattern continued until the rooster asked the sun to dry out the water that would eventually result in the grass cleaning his beak. The sun was the only one to say yes to his request. Each morning the rooster sings his song and the sun finds that as a good enough reason to help him out. The suns agreement to help out was enough to convince everyone else to help out as well and in the end the rooster made it to his uncles wedding with a very shiny and clean beak.

When reading this story I personally got bored with the repetition but I still enjoyed reading it. I loved the bright colors present throughout the illustrations. As I was reading I also didn't understand why the Rooster didn't just clean his beak himself. Instead he asked everything he saw to help him when he could have just done it himself and continued on his way. After reading the authors note in the beginning of the story I learned that this story was based on a tale that her grandmother used to tell her. She chose the character of a Rooster because the first time she heard the story that was the character her grandmother used, despite the fact that her grandmother changed the character each time she told the story. I was surprised that no one would help the rooster out until the end of the story when he asked the sun. Everyone then changed their mind and decided to help the Rooster.

This story is great for younger readers because of the reputation. It can be used to help them practice with story structure and notice patterns within texts. Some of the pages are very wordy so for young or struggling readers this book would probably be best used as a read aloud. Older students could use this book during a study of folktales.

Image Resources:
http://almaflorada.com/the-rooster-who-went-to-his-uncle’s-wedding/