Once upon a time: traditional Latin American tales = Había una vez : cuentos tradicionales latinoamericanos

MacArthur Fellow Martínez presents seven classic Latin American folktales of varying themes, all chosen because they are dear to his heart. Culled from diverse countries, including Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain, the stories feature characters such as Martina the Cockroach, the Wedding Rooster, Madremonte (Mother of the Jungle), and the trickster Tlacuache (opossum). Averaging a dozen pages of bilingual text in English and Spanish, each story features a colorful, appealing full-page illustration, and attentive viewers may catch a few discrepancies between the images and the scenes described in the words. On one page, for example, the Mother of the Jungle appears with short tresses while the text states that she has extremely long hair. Martínez occasionally relies on choppy non sequiturs, and his narratives lack the literary and folkloric flair of Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy's work. Nonetheless, his interpretations read aloud well (especially in Spanish) and make a strong contribution to a still relatively empty canon of bilingual, Latin American folktale offerings.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist

This collection of seven Latin American folktales features side-by-side English and Spanish text and descriptions of the origins and significance of each tale. In modernized, plainspoken language, the selections range from a lighthearted courtship tale about a beautiful cockroach (deciding against lipstick, she says, "Red is not a good color for me") to a trickster story featuring a gullible coyote. In the potentially unsettling "The Flower of Lirolay," two princes bury their third sibling alive, but when they dig him up, he's "miraculously" still breathing. A mix of spot art, borders, and full-page scenes, Colon's illustrations, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil on scratched paper, are alternately playful and stately, and make the stories spring off the page. Ages 5-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

K-Gr 5-"La cucaracha Martina," "El gallo de bodas," "La Madreselva," and "La flor de lirolay" are among the classics of Latin American lore presented here in delightful bilingual versions. Martinez retells seven stories in pleasant, uncomplicated prose and nothing has been lost in Unger's masterful translation. Readers will delight in Martina, clad in her best garb, happily dancing the night away with elegant and courteous Perez and will experience a chill when the mother of the jungle comes out to meet the man destroying her home. Colon's vivid mixed-media illustrations are large and colorful, and have an appropriate touch of the dramatic, seizing readers' attention. This handsome book will enchant youngsters and adults alike. It's an excellent resource for Latino storytelling sessions.-Narda McCarthy, Para Los Ninos Consultant, Weston, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Martinez retells seven Latin American folktales in this bilingual collection. Pedro Urdemales and Martina the Cockroach make appearances along with some lesser-known characters. Full-page illustrations rendered with watercolor and colored-pencil on scratched paper create an eye-catching frontispiece for each story. A good choice for read-aloud time, the book includes English and Spanish text on facing pages. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

A successful Mexican-American bookseller makes his debut as a writer with this bilingual collection of seven folktales from Spanish and Latin-American lore. Mart"nez offers sweet and fresh versions of two Caribbean stories already introduced to the young readers in the United States through prior literary adaptations: "The Wedding Rooster" and "Martina the Cockroach and Prez the Mouse." His collection also includes stories that have been told for generations in South America, such as "The Mother of the Jungle," from Colombian folklore, rich in ghosts and espantos, and "Pedro Urdemales and the Giant," which originated in Spain and was then popularized in Chile, Argentina and Venezuela. Kids may particularly enjoy the Mexican trickster story, "The Tlacuache and the Coyote." Unger's free Spanish translation conveys the author's storytelling voice and enhances it with the beauty of the stories' original language. Coln's exquisitely textured, full-page and border watercolor-and-pencil illustrations and such pleasing design details as flying birds and suns complete this gorgeous collection. (Folktales. 3 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

MacArthur Fellow Martínez presents seven classic Latin American folktales of varying themes, all chosen because they are "dear to his heart." Culled from diverse countries, including Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain, the stories feature characters such as Martina the Cockroach, the Wedding Rooster, Madremonte (Mother of the Jungle), and the trickster Tlacuache (opossum). Averaging a dozen pages of bilingual text in English and Spanish, each story features a colorful, appealing full-page illustration, and attentive viewers may catch a few discrepancies between the images and the scenes described in the words. On one page, for example, the Mother of the Jungle appears with short tresses while the text states that she has "extremely long hair." Martínez occasionally relies on choppy non sequiturs, and his narratives lack the literary and folkloric flair of Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy's work. Nonetheless, his interpretations read aloud well (especially in Spanish) and make a strong contribution to a still relatively empty canon of bilingual, Latin American folktale offerings. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.

This collection of seven Latin American folktales features side-by-side English and Spanish text and descriptions of the origins and significance of each tale. In modernized, plainspoken language, the selections range from a lighthearted courtship tale about a beautiful cockroach (deciding against lipstick, she says, "Red is not a good color for me") to a trickster story featuring a gullible coyote. In the potentially unsettling "The Flower of Lirolay," two princes bury their third sibling alive, but when they dig him up, he's "miraculously" still breathing. A mix of spot art, borders, and full-page scenes, Coln's illustrations, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil on scratched paper, are alternately playful and stately, and make the stories spring off the page. Ages 5–10. (Mar.)

K-Gr 5–"La cucaracha Martina," "El gallo de bodas," "La Madreselva," and "La flor de lirolay" are among the classics of Latin American lore presented here in delightful bilingual versions. Martnez retells seven stories in pleasant, uncomplicated prose and nothing has been lost in Unger's masterful translation. Readers will delight in Martina, clad in her best garb, happily dancing the night away with elegant and courteous Prez and will experience a chill when the mother of the jungle comes out to meet the man destroying her home. Coln's vivid mixed-media illustrations are large and colorful, and have an appropriate touch of the dramatic, seizing readers' attention. This handsome book will enchant youngsters and adults alike. It's an excellent resource for Latino storytelling sessions.–Narda McCarthy, Para Los Nios Consultant, Weston, FL