Personal Response:
This story caught my eye because I had a student named Gonzalo. His smile could melt my heart. This cute story had the same effect on me. I've been told all my life that money doesn't buy happiness and this story reinforces that.

Curricular Connections:
This would be a great read-aloud for story time. ( )

NCLA Review - When Gonzalo the rooster wins the lottery, he quits his job on Don Chucho’s farm and sets off for “the good life”. He buys a mansion (with a human staff) and a yacht and joins a country club. Eventually, though, he gets sick from eating too much candy, tired from dancing all night, and his feathers fall out in the hot tub. When he runs out of friends and money, he goes to church and prays. Gonzalo finds acceptance and success in the church choir, but he still isn’t happy. After having a strange dream, Gonzalo decides to go home, and Don Chucho happily receives him back. It’s a prodigal son-type story but with much less fanfare when Gonzalo returns. Parents and children alike will appreciate the clever dialog and the silly humor. The colorful, comic illustrations perfectly accompany the text and could almost tell the story on their own. A few simple words of Spanish are thrown in too, with a glossary at the back of the book. Ages 7-10. Rating: 4 —AMG ( )