A bilingual English/Spanish variant of "The Gingerbread Man," this book relates the tale of Don Pedro and his desire to win the radish-carving contest for the Night of the Radishes festival. As he's carving, the very last radish springs to life and takes off through the town, calling "Places to go, people to see, out of my way, you can't carve me!" The book has a wonderful sense of place, with the radish running into an open-air market, a band of mariachis, and a burro, among others. The illustrations add to the sense of Mexican culture, but while the artwork is colorful and active, it lacks depth and originality. The dose-of-reality ending may appeal to some children and upset others. "Runaway Radish" wins most of its points for zaniness and antics. Ultimately, the story is a crowd-pleaser and provides some introduction to aspects of Mexican culture, but is not a must-have.