Grandpa's Ha-la-loo-ya Hambone!

by Joe Hayes, Antonio Castro L (Illustrations)

Kids today grow up knowing all about recycling. But when Joe Hayes was a kid, recycling hadn't been invented. Money was so tight for his family that they had to be inventive about reusing everything. And when the family splurged for a fat hambone to flavor their beans, Joe's mother was determined to make it last as long as possible.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2017

About the author

Designated New Mexico Eminent Scholar by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Learning (1979).

Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.

In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.

In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.

For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.

Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandpa is like everyone else in this small Southwest town--he is sick of beans. Beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When Joe’s dad has the idea to drive beans to where they can sell them he is only somewhat successful--but brings back a hambone that has a life of its own. In this wonderful tall tale, inspired by Hayes’ childhood in Arizona, children will be introduced to folks who grew up in the depression era, when food options were scarce in a way we don’t think of it now with this humorous story.
Reading Level: PS-2
Recommended

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antonio Castro’s paintings are the factor that elevated this tall tale from a 3-star rating to a 4 for me. Such fabulous facial expressions, extra background details, and subtle shadings that all team up to enhance this modern tall tale. Young readers are likely to be drawn to the artwork as well and while the story may not be laugh out loud funny, the subtle exaggerations should be entertaining to a wide range of ages. Teachers will find this book useful for teaching the characteristics of a tall tale as well as story elements like setting and plot progression. Social studies teachers might find “Grandpa” a change from Leah’s Pony when covering the depression era. Besides being a 2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, libraries with students in grades K-4 will find plenty of reasons to put this one into their collections.

[Perssis Namour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilarious story about a family of farmers. I am still laughing about the story. This poor family has bad diet where only beans grow. So when grandpa comes to live with them he too is tired of beans for breakfast, lunch,and dinner. Till one day the father comes home with a hambone. The mom uses it to flavor the beans then hangs out to dry on the clothes line. At dinner grandpa so enjoys dinner that she shoots Hall-la-lo-la!!! Neighbors start coming by to ask if they can use that same hone for a baptism, a wedding, or a son returning from the army. Of course they share it with the town.
The funny grandpa makes everything funny as he goes anywhere the backbone goes. Children will get a kick I out of this book. Good book to use for grandparents day.

[J. Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute southern tall tale with amazingly life-like illustrations (colored pencil drawings). The main theme of the book is recycling, or reusing. A community is forced to eat beans every day for every meal. Out of desperation, one man buys a ham to season the beans for his family, and his thrifty, resourceful wife decides to reuse the bone in subsequent pots of beans for flavor. Before long, friends and family are using it as well. However, the plot takes a twist at the end when the hambone becomes comes to good use of the whole town.

[Elida Madrigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tall tale about a family who makes the best of trying times. It gives insight to what it might have been like in the Depression era for some families. This family was living off beans and beans, until momma made the beans taste better with a hambone. Nobody loved the beans more than Grandpa.
So when the hambone is in danger of being gone forever, the family has to think quick. Great read aloud!

[Desi Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Bluebonnet Nominee, and I loved it!!! I think I liked it more because we have a tall tale in our family. When we were a very young family, my Dad was a pastor and my parents had been given a meaty hambone. Mom and Dad said it was the worst tasting ham ever, but BOY did it make a great pot of beans!!! And my parents used that same hambone several times before tossing it!!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high expectations for this book since I love all of Joe Hayes' other books but this one fell a bit flat for me. I think it will get checked out a bunch since the picture books on the Bluebonnet Reading List typically do but I don't see it being a huge hit. I could be wrong but those are my thoughts at this time.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grandson tells of how his frugal mother reused a hambone week after week. They only had beans to eat, and his mother would cook the Sunday meal with hambone. His Grandpa loved the beans cooked with hambone, and looked forward to it each Sunday.

A cute tall tale. A fun story with realistic illustrations.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short, comical story is about what happens when there is nothing to eat but beans, every day. Then there is a ham bone, carefully rationed to last. Word gets around in the neighborhood, and others want to borrow it. What could go wrong? Not theft. No, the problem arises in an entirely unexpected manner...

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old fashion storytelling with a dash of hyperbole make this a fun story to read. Joe grows up in a dirt poor family that had to work hard just to get by. Joe’s dad came home one day with a hambone, which was cause for great celebration. That hambone did more good can you could probably imagine! To find out more, just pick up a copy of this entertaining story.

[Mary Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Side note- I actually read the paperback. When I tried to add the paperback version it said it was taken by "Grandpa's Recycled Hambone" which surely is the same book .... but I am unable to change the title on that version.

Cute story would be a great introduction into tall tales!

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tall tales as told by a child on a farm...charming!

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prolific author, Joe Hayes, delves into his own family lore to create this funny tall tale set during the Great Depression with the ultimate recycling story.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story

[Bethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing story about some special magical flavoring for beans, fun to see how much the illustrations of Joe’s father look like him.

[Dyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018-2019 Bluebonnet Award Nominee. I would call this a TALL Tale. Funny!

[Zonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a funny story.

[Danielle Norris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, but it wasn't even enjoyable enough that I would highlight it in the library. I don't know what exactly I didn't like about it, but it was just meh for me.

[Buffie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t really my kind of book, but it did earn a second star after I found the author do a storytelling of it online. Worth your time in searching for it to give this book some life.

[Sandra Cappello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute easy fiction with a hambone flavored tall tale.

[I Contain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun little story. Hilarious, detailed illustrations. The tone of the writing makes you feel as if you are sitting on the front porch hearing the story straight from the source.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start but funny end. My students enjoyed it as well.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story that kids will enjoy.

[Nancy]

Great book about a family that shares their hambone with others so they can use it for their beans and they can have another taste.
Very cute.

[Darby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fun story! Great for elementary read aloud time.

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing tall tale, but I don’t understand what characteristics qualify it for the Texas State Bluebonnet nominee list.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the kind of book that works a lot better read aloud with expression than just read. I’m not into super folksy stuff, so this isn’t my bag. Fun illustrations.

[Kiyoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to the author tell the story is better than reading the book!
https://youtu.be/z9et9LWwnNs

But as an aside, the thought of a piece of ham bone remaining at the bottom of the family water well is a bit of an ICK factor for me, tall tale or not!

Less exciting than some of his other stories, but cute.

[Calondra M B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m from Louisiana and hambones are a part of our culture. The title definitely drew me in.
The book’s artwork is amazing.

Beans are the only food that will grow on the farm.
One day the farmer sells beans and returns with a hambone. Their thrifty Mom uses it to flavor the beans. Then all the neighbors share in the good fortune to flavor theirs as well.

[Stephanie Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly