Selected and annotated by Lisa Weinstein
Ada, Alma Flor, ad. The Lizard and the Sun: A Folktale in English and Spanish/ La Lagarita y el sol: cuento tradicional en inglés y español. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1997. 40 p.
This bilingual book shares a folktale about a lizard that finds the sun sleeping in a rock. As the sun returns to its rightful place in the sky, it warms the land and your heart. The beautifully detailed full page illustrations reiterate the moods of the story. Cultural context included.
Aldan, Patricia, comp. Jad and Iron: Latin American Tales from Two Cultures. Buffalo, New York: Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 1996. 64 p.
Each of the myths included in this compilation have overwhelmingly brown-hued illustrations, detailed with black pen. The themes of love, betrayal, trickery, devotion and selflessness are tied together with imagery of mountains and volcanoes. Source notes included.
Bernhard, Emery, ad. The Tree that Rains: The Flood Myth of the Huichol Indians of Mexico. New York: Holiday House, 1994. 32 p.
Great-grandmother Earth warns and protects Watakame and his faithful dog from the great flood. Once the waters recede, Watakame begins life again on the dry land with his new wife, who was hiding in the dog skin. A southwestern pallete uses simple outlined figures and designs similar to pottery.
Betting, Natalia M. Moon Was Tired of Walking on Air. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1992. 48 p.
A collection of short and simple myths from South America explains different aspects of nature. The selections are enhanced by earth- toned illustrations that use detailed and textured paint strokes to portray movement, depth, and tone. Source notes included.
Brusca, María Cristina and Tona Wilson, ads. The Blacksmith and the Devils New York: Holt, 1992. 40 p.
Juan Pobreza, a barefoot man with a slight hunchback and a wild white beard, outwits devil by using wishes granted to him by the guardian of the gates of heaven. This Argentinean folktale is illustrated with sharp, angular people and scenery in pastel watercolors. Source notes included.
Crespo, George, ad. How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth. New York: Clarion, 1993. 32 p.
After a noble hunter disappears in a hurricane, his father hangs his bow and arrows in a gourd from his hut's ceiling. Fresh fish replace the bow until four young boys break the gourd. From the gourd spills teh ocean and all that lives in it. Crespo's illustrations are warm with textured backgrounds and top-heavy people. Source notes and pronunciation guide included.
Cruz Martinez, Alejandro. The Woman Who Outshone the Sun: The Legend of Lucia Zenteno. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 1991. 32 p.
Lucia Zenteno carries the river in her long black hair. When she is banished by the village for being a witch, she mournfully takes the river with her until the people realize their dependency on the river and beg her forgiveness. Lucia's black hair flows like the river in water color illustrations comple with swimming fish. Cites the oral history of Zapotec Indians as source.
Gonzalez, Lucia M., ad. Señor Cat's Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America. New York: Scholastic, 1997. 48 p.
This lively collection of six humorous stories from Latin America is accompanied by soft, smooth paintings and a clashing wire-gate border. Source notes and glossary are included at the end of each story.
Jaffe, Nina, ad. The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth from Puerto Rico. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. 32 p.
This myth explains how a pumpkin, planted by a naive child, contains the ocean until two selfish men greedily fight over the pumpkin. The pumpkins breaks and the ocean floods the earth. The people illustrated are simple and chubby, their faces their most defined part. The backgrounds have a sponge-like texture. Source notes and cultural context included.
Johnston, Tony, ad. The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote. New York: Putnam, 1994. 32 p.
This trickster tale about a purple rabbit and a blue coyote explains why coyotes howl at the moon. A mix of pastels balances the bold southwestern style of the illustrations. Source notes included.
Loya, Olga. Momentos mágicos: Magic Moments. Little Rock, Arkansas: AugustHouse, 1998. 188 p.
A collection of fifteen short stories from Latin America, each told in English and Spanish. The stories are organized in four categories: scary, tricksters, strong women, and myths.
McDermott, Gerald, ad. Musician of the Sun. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. 40 p.
Based on an Aztec myth, this story explains how the Wind brought music and happiness to earth. Vibrant illustrations textured with black ink cover each page. Source notes included.
Mohr, Nicholasa and Antonio Martorell. The Song of El Coqui and Other Tales of Puerto Rico. New York: Viking, 1995. 42 p.
Every color of the rainbow is subtly represented on every page in this set of three tales from Puerto Rico. The stories metaphorically represent the people who emigrated to Puerto Rico, either by force or by choice. Some source notes included.
Rohmer, Harriet. Mother Scorpion Country: La Tierra de la Madre Escorpión. San Francisco, Children's Book Press, 1987. 32 p.
A grief stricken husband tries to follow his bride to the land of the dead. He finds himself unhappy, unable to the beauty in the beauty in both the lands of the living and dead. Collage illustrations smoothly merge how the husband and wife each see the land of the dead. Source notes and cultural context included.
Sierra, Judy, ad. The Beautiful Butterfly: A Folktale from Spain. New York: Clarion, 2000. 32 p.
A traditional Spanish folktale about a beautiful butterfly and her devoted mouse husband, who tragically falls into a pond while fetching his wife water. A humorous spin to the story keeps the characters and readers laughing. The butterfly's bright wings and facial expressions intensify the heartfelt emotions of the story. Source notes included.
