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The Day It Snowed Tortillas / El día que nevó tortilla
Presents a collection of classic Spanish tales from New Mexico.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1982
45 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hayes
69 books29 followersDesignated 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
January 25, 2019
Some of these stories are really great, but some are eh okay. I think they are best read like one a day or one a week. I read them continuously back to back and I think that was not the best way to have read them. I started this last year but then put it down and away and finally picked it up again. I think some of these stories are great and I wonder if they'd be better to hear than read. Overall not bad but I think I enjoyed a handful of stories and liked the idea of the book more than the book itself.
April 22, 2018
The Day It Snowed Tortillas/El dia que nevo tortilla
Author: Joe Hayes
Genre: Folklore
The Day It Snowed Tortillas is about a foolish, uneducated firewood cutter. He was a good man and good at his job but always found himself getting into trouble because of his mouth. However, the firewood cutter had a very clever wife who always came to his aid. One day while out working, the man found three leather bags full of gold. When he came home, his wife knew that he was going to accidentally tell everyone he had found all of this gold, even though the wife knew it was potentially a stash hidden where bad robbers left it to come back for it. On that very same day, the wife instructed her husband to go get 100 pounds of flour. Her husband went into the town and brought back all of the flour. Exhausted, he went to sleep while she got to making tortillas. She spent hours and hours making tortillas. When she was finished, she took them outside and laid them all over the ground, as if it had “snowed tortillas”. Her husband, now awake, couldn’t believe his eyes. He truly believed that it had snowed tortillas! A few days later, the robbers came to their house because they had heard he had been talking about discovering the gold. The husband started talking and admitting (without realizing what he was doing) that he had found the gold-on the same day it snowed tortillas! The robbers began to think the man was crazy so they left and the husband and wife kept and hid the gold they had found.
Literacy: The importance of a moral in a folklore is significant and often times explained at the end of a story. Have students write as table groups what they think the moral of the story is. Discuss as a whole class and then have students work as groups to create their own short “folklore” story, making sure that they include a moral. Make sure that students get creative but stay on task. Once the stories are finished, have students perform read-alouds of their stories to the entire class.
Social Studies: Have students use computers and books from the library to research where The Day It Snowed Tortillas originated (New Mexico). Have them find out about the culture of this location as well as other distinguishing aspects-weather, climate, geography, etc. Have students create Google Slides about New Mexico and include all relevant information.
WOW Book: The Day It Snowed Tortillas was a WOW book for me because it illustrated the saying “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Although the husband was not the smartest, he was kind, hard-working, and listened to his wife. He was just foolish! His wife, on the other hand, was smart, clever, and always thinking of ways to protect herself as well as her husband. This shows a sense of teamwork/building healthy, balanced friendships/relationships, which I think students need to learn especially at a young age.
Author: Joe Hayes
Genre: Folklore
The Day It Snowed Tortillas is about a foolish, uneducated firewood cutter. He was a good man and good at his job but always found himself getting into trouble because of his mouth. However, the firewood cutter had a very clever wife who always came to his aid. One day while out working, the man found three leather bags full of gold. When he came home, his wife knew that he was going to accidentally tell everyone he had found all of this gold, even though the wife knew it was potentially a stash hidden where bad robbers left it to come back for it. On that very same day, the wife instructed her husband to go get 100 pounds of flour. Her husband went into the town and brought back all of the flour. Exhausted, he went to sleep while she got to making tortillas. She spent hours and hours making tortillas. When she was finished, she took them outside and laid them all over the ground, as if it had “snowed tortillas”. Her husband, now awake, couldn’t believe his eyes. He truly believed that it had snowed tortillas! A few days later, the robbers came to their house because they had heard he had been talking about discovering the gold. The husband started talking and admitting (without realizing what he was doing) that he had found the gold-on the same day it snowed tortillas! The robbers began to think the man was crazy so they left and the husband and wife kept and hid the gold they had found.
Literacy: The importance of a moral in a folklore is significant and often times explained at the end of a story. Have students write as table groups what they think the moral of the story is. Discuss as a whole class and then have students work as groups to create their own short “folklore” story, making sure that they include a moral. Make sure that students get creative but stay on task. Once the stories are finished, have students perform read-alouds of their stories to the entire class.
Social Studies: Have students use computers and books from the library to research where The Day It Snowed Tortillas originated (New Mexico). Have them find out about the culture of this location as well as other distinguishing aspects-weather, climate, geography, etc. Have students create Google Slides about New Mexico and include all relevant information.
WOW Book: The Day It Snowed Tortillas was a WOW book for me because it illustrated the saying “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Although the husband was not the smartest, he was kind, hard-working, and listened to his wife. He was just foolish! His wife, on the other hand, was smart, clever, and always thinking of ways to protect herself as well as her husband. This shows a sense of teamwork/building healthy, balanced friendships/relationships, which I think students need to learn especially at a young age.
April 21, 2017
The Day It Snowed Tortillas is a collection of folktales that were told throughout New Mexico villages over 400 hundred years ago. The author, Joe Hayes wrote the stories in both English and Spanish. The stories are engaging, kept me laughing, and reminded me of stories my parents and grandparents used to tell me. The stories throughout this book had similar themes to stories that were told to me as a child. This book allowed me to learn tales from a culture other than my own. My favorite story from the collection was The Day It Snowed Tortillas. It was about a poor, uneducated woodcutter who finds 3 bags of gold; his wife knows he cannot keep a secret, so she takes precautions so no one will know they have the gold. This was a WOW book for me because I wanted to keep reading more stories. It reminded me of my childhood and the stories that were told to me. I also really enjoyed the aspect that the author chose to write the stories in English and Spanish.
The Day It Snowed Tortillas is a folklore that can be used in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The stories can be read aloud or the teacher can choose a few to share based on the topic of the lesson. This book could also be used in book clubs. The book could be read aloud in a unit on cultures or literature in various cultures. This book could also be read aloud during a folklore unit or a unit on morals; the students could find the morals in each of the stories. I could have the students write stories that they were told from their ancestors or have them write their own folklore. I think this would be a very engaging book for Spanish speaking students as they may have been told some of these stories and could read it in their native language.
The Day It Snowed Tortillas is a folklore that can be used in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The stories can be read aloud or the teacher can choose a few to share based on the topic of the lesson. This book could also be used in book clubs. The book could be read aloud in a unit on cultures or literature in various cultures. This book could also be read aloud during a folklore unit or a unit on morals; the students could find the morals in each of the stories. I could have the students write stories that they were told from their ancestors or have them write their own folklore. I think this would be a very engaging book for Spanish speaking students as they may have been told some of these stories and could read it in their native language.
April 24, 2017
When introduced the folktale genre in class, I immediately thought about the opportunity to incorporate different cultures as well as languages. Joe Hayes does an awesome job of writing original stories with his own twist. These stories would be entertaining for any grade level, but more specifically 3-5. If the title alone doesn't grab my students attention, I would think the illustrations could do that as well. This book is great for a theme lesson, and enables students to gather information from the stories to figure out the moral of it. I liked this book because it gives teachers the option to read the whole thing, or pick and choose in the event that they do not have a sufficient amount of time. I can always appreciate a book that can be used to teach and explore different cultures, I think it is a great way to get children exploring at such a young age. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think that my students will as well!
April 9, 2019
The book, the Day It Snowed Tortillas, is a folklore collection of short stories that have been told and passed down in villages in New Mexico for centuries! These stories are written in both spanish and english for students in grades 4-5. I read this book as an ebook but it is also available in other formats.
The book, the Day It Snowed Tortillas, is a WOW book for me because it is written in both spanish and english for all of my students to enjoy! I love how crazy it is to think while reading this book that these stories have been passed down in families from generation to generation. It is unbelievable to think the stories are that old! As a result, this book helps to develop a deeper sense of belonging and a greater sense of classroom community for all students. Additionally, I have made it a goal this year to read more children’s books in spanish to practice my spanish and to better serve my students. This is the first book I have read towards this goal this year!
I would use this book in my future classroom to provide a book that all students in my class can read together without a language barrier. All students could follow along with this book in their preferred language! I also think it would be really interesting to have students partner up with a classmate and read the book in their native language to that student while the other student follows along in their language. This activity as a great way to build classroom community at the beginning of the school year!
I would also use this book to develop a relationship with a classroom in another country and give students a global perspective. I hope to do this by giving students an opportunity to skype once a week with a class in another country. This book would be a great way to build a relationship with another class. The two classes could read the book in their native language, have a lesson together, and meet with students in the other class to discuss the book during the weekly skype calls.
I also have hopes of one day teaching an elementary school spanish elective class. In this class, I would use this book to integrate literacy within the spanish elective course. This activity will help students develop literacy across disciplines, deepen their understanding of the spanish language and grammar, and get students excited about reading and spanish!
The book, the Day It Snowed Tortillas, is a WOW book for me because it is written in both spanish and english for all of my students to enjoy! I love how crazy it is to think while reading this book that these stories have been passed down in families from generation to generation. It is unbelievable to think the stories are that old! As a result, this book helps to develop a deeper sense of belonging and a greater sense of classroom community for all students. Additionally, I have made it a goal this year to read more children’s books in spanish to practice my spanish and to better serve my students. This is the first book I have read towards this goal this year!
I would use this book in my future classroom to provide a book that all students in my class can read together without a language barrier. All students could follow along with this book in their preferred language! I also think it would be really interesting to have students partner up with a classmate and read the book in their native language to that student while the other student follows along in their language. This activity as a great way to build classroom community at the beginning of the school year!
I would also use this book to develop a relationship with a classroom in another country and give students a global perspective. I hope to do this by giving students an opportunity to skype once a week with a class in another country. This book would be a great way to build a relationship with another class. The two classes could read the book in their native language, have a lesson together, and meet with students in the other class to discuss the book during the weekly skype calls.
I also have hopes of one day teaching an elementary school spanish elective class. In this class, I would use this book to integrate literacy within the spanish elective course. This activity will help students develop literacy across disciplines, deepen their understanding of the spanish language and grammar, and get students excited about reading and spanish!
April 5, 2018
This book meets the folklore category.
This book is about a man that does not know how to write or read, however, he is a hard worker and good with cutting lumber. Since the man hadn't gone to school, he was not a very clever person which got him into trouble many times, but he had a very clever wife that would always come to the rescue whenever his "foolishness" led him to trouble. These characteristics of the man led to believe that it snowed tortillas one, which is where all the fun begin with the story.
I believe this would be most appropriate for grades 1st through 5th. This is a great book to share with kids through a read aloud since it includes Spanish and it would be good for teachers to familiarize themselves with how to correctly pronounce those words and model such pronunciation to their students. There is also culture involved in this book and, since it is a folklore book, some students may know this story already from other family members. This book could also be used for a book club especially for younger grades. This is a very engaging and fun book to read and there it would definitely spark discussion among younger readers. Furthermore, the fact that it is written in both Spanish and English makes it a great book to include in your classroom library since it would target more students in the class.
This was a WOW book for me because it kept me entertained throughout the entire book and I was also able to connect with the book as well. Growing up, I remember my grandma telling me different folklore stories and they were all very similar to this book. My first language is also Spanish so reading this book somehow allowed me to connect to it better and it is my guess that students like me would have the same feeling as well. This book is great and I hope everyone is able to read it at some point to their students.
This book is about a man that does not know how to write or read, however, he is a hard worker and good with cutting lumber. Since the man hadn't gone to school, he was not a very clever person which got him into trouble many times, but he had a very clever wife that would always come to the rescue whenever his "foolishness" led him to trouble. These characteristics of the man led to believe that it snowed tortillas one, which is where all the fun begin with the story.
I believe this would be most appropriate for grades 1st through 5th. This is a great book to share with kids through a read aloud since it includes Spanish and it would be good for teachers to familiarize themselves with how to correctly pronounce those words and model such pronunciation to their students. There is also culture involved in this book and, since it is a folklore book, some students may know this story already from other family members. This book could also be used for a book club especially for younger grades. This is a very engaging and fun book to read and there it would definitely spark discussion among younger readers. Furthermore, the fact that it is written in both Spanish and English makes it a great book to include in your classroom library since it would target more students in the class.
This was a WOW book for me because it kept me entertained throughout the entire book and I was also able to connect with the book as well. Growing up, I remember my grandma telling me different folklore stories and they were all very similar to this book. My first language is also Spanish so reading this book somehow allowed me to connect to it better and it is my guess that students like me would have the same feeling as well. This book is great and I hope everyone is able to read it at some point to their students.
April 18, 2018
"The Day it Snowed Tortillas" is a fun compilation of Folklore tales taking place in Spanish-speaking communities. This book is unique because half of the book is written in English, and the other half is in Spanish (left is English, right is Spanish). The stories told of legends in the town that many believed in, and many were somewhat comical. My favorite is the tale the book was named after, "The Day it Snowed Tortillas", where an intelligent wife helped herself and her husband save their gold using a hilarious plan that actually worked! I think this text would be suitable for grades 3-5 because all of the stories are rather short and the language used is not overly complicated. It would be a great text to provide if there are students that are English Language Learners in your classroom because students can read the text in both languages and it really embraces Spanish culture. I may would use this text as an intro to a genre study in the classroom because Folklore is not explored as much as other genres and students may not pick up a folklore book on their own. These stories could be read for enjoyment and would be great for read-alouds or guided readings. Some of the tales such as the "The Weeping Woman" are cautionary tales that many people actually believe in, so these could serve as a great introduction to a reading response or writing prompt.
October 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this book and the many folktales that were included in it. I also think it was nice that there is both English and Spanish, since they are from Hispanic origin. Some of these stories are funny and silly but most have some sort of moral to the story that I think kids would understand and could relate to.
August 9, 2022
In this excellent collection of bilingual folktales from Spanish-speaking countries around the world, author Joe Hayes does a wonderful job not only writing his versions of many traditional stories but also explaining the likely origin of these stories. This collection includes many well-known Latino folktales such as "La Llorona," as well as lesser-known stories that delight and enchant the reader.
My upper-elementary students loved this book! I used it in guided reading groups and book clubs, and many students then wanted to check out this book to read independently (and to take home to read with their family members!). This book is a great addition to classroom folktale collections and is a wonderful resource to teach students how to read and think critically (as the selections are so well-written and include a moral or message that is not always apparent!). Teachers can either read the entire book with students or could choose selected folktales to engage students in close readings.
Written simply so as to be comprehensible to younger readers, author Joe Hayes creates what feels like authentic retellings of Hispanic and Latino folktales. While not a person of Hispanic or Latino origin, Hayes is an advocate of bilingual storytelling, and has studied and traveled in many countries in Central and South America. In his words,"I think it's really important that my own heritage is not Hispanic. It defuses the 'us and them' way of looking at language."
The Bloomsbury Review considers this book to be "one of our 15 all-time favorites books for kids." I agree and think you will as well!
My upper-elementary students loved this book! I used it in guided reading groups and book clubs, and many students then wanted to check out this book to read independently (and to take home to read with their family members!). This book is a great addition to classroom folktale collections and is a wonderful resource to teach students how to read and think critically (as the selections are so well-written and include a moral or message that is not always apparent!). Teachers can either read the entire book with students or could choose selected folktales to engage students in close readings.
Written simply so as to be comprehensible to younger readers, author Joe Hayes creates what feels like authentic retellings of Hispanic and Latino folktales. While not a person of Hispanic or Latino origin, Hayes is an advocate of bilingual storytelling, and has studied and traveled in many countries in Central and South America. In his words,"I think it's really important that my own heritage is not Hispanic. It defuses the 'us and them' way of looking at language."
The Bloomsbury Review considers this book to be "one of our 15 all-time favorites books for kids." I agree and think you will as well!
October 3, 2016
Fantastic multi-cultural folktale collection! This is one of the best collections of folktales I have found in this genre. The title reminded me of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, however, no real connection to that book. My favorite story in the collection is The Day It snowed Tortillas. In this Mexican folktale, an uneducated man finds 3 bags of gold and his wife who is smarter than he has to take measures to make sure they aren't caught with the gold. It is funny and children of all ages will enjoy this book. I think it is appropriate for k-5 read aloud depending on how you plan to use it. The book lends itself to character discussion, illustrating events, plot, problem/solution with many opportunities to incorporate writing activities picking up where the book leaves off for example...how did they spend the gold? This is a WOW book for me because I think it is important for all children to read/hear books reflecting various cultures. Our hispanic students will especially enjoy hearing a story from their culture. I truly think this book will become a classic!
September 11, 2012
Uses a nice integration of both Spanish and English by telling stories in both languages. It intertwines both languages in a creative way. Tells folktales and stories. I would use this as a read aloud and during a folktales unit.
April 23, 2015
I like this book. I liked that this book has lots of little stories and life lesson to it. I liked the part when they said that some random guy was super smart and he could solve anything. But they were all wrong. It was really a woman who was the smartest of them all.
September 23, 2008
will always love this book
made me and my Children laugh until we cried.
one of our faves.
made me and my Children laugh until we cried.
one of our faves.
April 19, 2019
E-text: Folklore - This is such a good little book. The author uses a few Spanish speaking country folklores in his book that are a great educational resource. You could use this book for any of the grades, but I might stick with younger ones, like 3rd grade. This book is a very silly book that I think the 3rd graders would laugh at. The concept of raining tortillas is funny (and the book plays off of this too) and so this book was quite entertaining. This book was a wow book for me because I really enjoyed the simplicity yet the amusement this book contains. The author has a sense of humor that he writes into his book, which made this a wow book for me. The book was genuinely funny, which is hard for many authors to do. This book would be a great book for a teacher to read aloud to her students. The book is a light hearted book that doesn't take too much time to read. This would be a good morning book during morning meeting. I think you could also use this book as a reading workshop book. The book is easy enough for most of the students to be able to read independently and not need a ton of help, so I think reading this book for reading workshop would be a great use.
December 3, 2019
This is a collection of humorous New Mexican folklore, written to teach both the readers and the listeners vary valuable lessons about character, honesty, and life. These traditional stories are short, well-written and a true reflection or Mexican, Mexican-American, and New Mexican cultures.
I would use this book with students of ages 10-12 to show them the difference between folklore and fairy tales and to highlight on values and character.
I would use this book with students of ages 10-12 to show them the difference between folklore and fairy tales and to highlight on values and character.
June 6, 2025
This is the best, authentic collection of children's folk stories that I have read. It's written in English and Spanish. It took me a while to get used to turning the page after reading just one page at a time. The storyteller/author explains the origins of each story. I enjoyed every one! I like to buy books for souvenirs when we travel that represent the area we are in. This filled that requirement wonderfully.
December 1, 2018
This collection of New Mexico folktales makes elementary through middle school readers laugh while learning about morals and safety. These tales include “The Cricket” and “La Llorana” that teach morals of telling the truth and listing to parents. Teachers can use this book in a unit about folktales in different cultures, even within America.
February 12, 2019
This book was a good book of New Mexican folktales. Despite the fact my ability to read Spanish is rather poor, I appreciated the bilingual nature of the book. I think that it would be a great book to read aloud to children, whether for a reading or Spanish class. The tales are well written in the style of traditional folktales. Overall, I would suggest this book to anyone.
October 8, 2019
This book is great for introducing the concept of traditional readings. It is a collection of short stories and is perfect for reluctant 4-8 grade readers since they will thoroughly enjoy the hilarious ways the stories are told and could be used when trying to make diverse students feel more at home.
September 17, 2024
I enjoyed this book so much! I’ve been working on learning Spanish and this book was perfect for that. The translations are side by side, too; which makes it enjoyable. some bilingual books put the translation on the next page which is annoying- Not this one though! Plus, the stories were so fun to read! I highly recommend!
December 3, 2019
A bilingual New Mexican folklore book that teaches critical thinking and teamwork. It also shows how people support and help each other in relationships. This book like fables has a moral to the story and beautiful illustrations that coincide with the story.
August 26, 2023
Odd collection of folktales that I wouldn’t particularly recommend for children: the tricky/clever side of man is celebrated in these stories.
The parallel Spanish and English texts might be useful for language students though.
The parallel Spanish and English texts might be useful for language students though.
October 18, 2023
Fun short folktale stories! Most of them carry a lesson to be taught, not only for young children but adults as well. My favorite was "The Day it Snowed Tortillas", that one was one I had not heard before.
October 22, 2018
I read an entire book in Spanish!
December 31, 2019
I now have certainty that woman and white is the same as la llorona. Also, good stories.
January 28, 2020
Read this as part of a culture project for Spanish class. Folktales are always a big hit at our house.
February 8, 2020
Fun book! Started reading this to my family on a road trip as a joke but my family made me keep on reading them. Very cute.
August 16, 2020
Fun collection of folktales told in both Spanish and English
February 27, 2021
This is a collection of traditional tales from New Mexico. Many will be familiar to you, some not. Written in both English and Spanish.
December 8, 2021
From reading the title, I thought this would be a cute story for children. It is actually a collection of folk tales.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews