“Cuñá, cuñá, cuñá”…
Estaba en su casa un tigre llamado Max. Le salían lágrimas de sus ojos. Eran tantas lágrimas que hasta se podía hacer un lago. Un gran lago de lágrimas.
El tigre Max salió de su casa, y se fue corriendo hasta el río. Muchos animales lo vieron pasar. El río tenía su corriente muy fuerte, y en sus orillas había muchas rocas. En una de esas rocas se sentó para chillar a gusto.
“Cuñá, cuñá, cuñá.”
Un puma que vivía en una cueva que estaba del otro lado del río se dio cuenta de la tristeza del tigre. Este puma se llamaba Thunder porque corría tan rápido como un venado. El puma Thunder le preguntó al tigre Max por qué lloraba. El tigre Max contestó: “Es que no tengo dinero para comprar mis regalos de navidad.”
El puma Thunder invitó al tigre Max a ir a su casa con su familia. El tigre se puso alegre y aceptó la propuesta. Max y Thunder se fueron a la tienda para comprar el pino, los adornos y los regalos de navidad.
Entonces ya tuvieron todo listo para celebrar la navidad y el año nuevo. El gran día de navidad había llegado, y el tigre Max se vistió muy elegante para ir a la casa de Thunder.
Max, Thunder, y su familia abrieron los regalos, comieron pavo, y contaron chistes. Se la pasaron muy bien. Como se puede ver, Max, Thunder y su familia tuvieron una buena navidad.
Al final, el tigre Max dijo, “El próximo año yo ayudo con los regalos”.
El puma Thunder dijo: “Acuérdate que yo soy el primero de la lista. Mi regalo tiene que ser algo especial.”
Todos se rieron y se pusieron a cantar. Al otro día ellos encontraron un cofre lleno de oro brillante y grande, del tamaño de una mano.
Max y Thunder intentaron llevárselo, y como no pudieron, uno de ellos fue a buscar a su familia para que los ayudara.
Thunder entró gritando. “Encontramos oro. Vengan, vamos con Max”.
Todos corrieron, y cuando vieron el tesoro, se quedaron asombrados!
“Cuña, cuña, cuña…”
A tiger named Max was in his house. He had tears in his eyes. There were so many tears that you could fill a lake. A huge lake full of tears.
Max the tiger left his house and ran to the river. A lot of animals saw him running. The river has a very strong stream and on its shore there were a lot of rocks. On one of those rocks he sat down to cry.
“Cuña, cuña, cuña…”
One cougar who lived in a cave that was on the other side of the river, noticed the sadness of the tiger. This cougar was named Thunder, because he was as fast as a deer. Thunder the cougar asked Max the tiger why he was crying. Max the tiger answered: “I don’t have money to buy my Christmas presents.”
Thunder the cougar invited Max the tiger to go to his house. The tiger was happy, and he accepted the invitation. Max and Thunder went to the store to get a pine tree, the ornaments, and the Christmas presents.
Later, everything was ready for the Christmas celebration and the New Year. The great Christmas day arrived, and Max the tiger dressed very elegant to go to Thunder’s house.
Max, Thunder and his family opened their presents, ate turkey and they all told funny stories. They were having fun. As you can see, Max, Thunder, and his family had a pleasant Christmas.
At the end, Max the tiger said: “Next year I will help with the presents.”
Thunder the cougar said: “Remember that I have to be the first on the list. My present has to be something very special.”
They all were laughing, and they were singing.
The next day, they found a trunk full of gold. It was as big as a mountain. Max and Thunder tried to carry it home, because they they could not do it, one of them went looking for help.
Thunder arrived screaming: “We found gold. Let’s go with Max.”
They all went running, and when they saw the treasure, they were amazed!
By Marcos, 3rd grade
[photo by photocatt via flickr]
[photo by Nancy Dimock via flickr]
25 years ago Sandra Cisnero’s novel A House on Mango Street helped change the cultural landscape of America by providing a voice for a demographic that would soon become one of the largest segments of American society. Told in a series of stunning vignettes, The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age classic about a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. The novel, first published in 1984, won the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award in 1985, and has become required reading in middle schools, high schools, and universities across the country. It has sold over two million copies since its initial publication and is still selling strongly. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of The House on Mango Street in the United States, and Cisneros will be traveling to 20 cities to celebrate with her readers.
Desperate, like the wild coyotes,
