THE TALKING MACHINE

by Miguel Angel Asturias ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 1971

Guatemalan frogs are apparently a quarrelsome lot. At any rate, it takes several pages of family bickering (about spitting and noisemaking and new-fangled things) and reminiscing (of the Reed Grass fair and the nanny frog who died singing) before little Ranita has a chance to reveal the talking machine she bought at the market -- not a tape recorder at all, but a splendid parrot. Perhaps in the original Spanish all these quips and diversions are as much fun as the capering, spring-colored pictures; here, they're as tiresome as grandpa frog's coughing spells.

Pub Date: May 7, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1971

Categories: CHILDREN'S