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

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Rayo
Publication Date
[2010]
Language
English

Description

Enter an enchanted world of kings and giants, where cockroaches play dress-up and coyotes fly to the moon! In this lively bilingual collection of short stories, Spain and Latin America's most beloved tales are retold for a new generation.

From the grateful rooster who cries "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" to the awesome spirit of the Mother of the Jungle, Once Upon a Time/Habia una vez celebrates seven traditional folktales and tells them in a colorful, fresh voice. In these magical adventures that are sure to delight, readers young and old will meet some of the world's most memorable heroes and charming tricksters.

Entra a un mundo encantado de reyes y gigantes, donde las cucarachas se visten de gala ¡y los coyotes vuelan a la luna! En esta colección de cuentos bilingüe, encontrarás las historias más preciadas de España y Latinoamérica, reinventadas aquí para una nueva generación.

Del gallo agradecido que grita "¡Quiquiriquí!" al poderoso espíritu de la Madreselva, Once Upon a Time/Habia una vez celebra siete cuentos tanto populares como tradicionales. En estas aventuras mágicas que sin duda te agradarán, conocerás a héroes memorables y a pícaros encantadores.

More Details

ISBN
9780061468957

Discover More

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

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

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Publisher's Weekly Review

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

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Powered by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

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.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Horn Book Review

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.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

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.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Booklist Reviews

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.

Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.
Powered by Content Cafe

Publishers Weekly 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.)

[Page 53]. Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Powered by Content Cafe

School Library Journal Reviews

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

[Page 103]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Powered by Content Cafe

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.