cover image LITTLE BOOK OF LATIN AMERICAN FOLKTALES

LITTLE BOOK OF LATIN AMERICAN FOLKTALES

, , trans. by Susana Wald and Beatriz Zeller, illus. by Maria Fernanda Oliver, Hei. Groundwood, $8.95 (132pp) ISBN 978-0-88899-543-8

This palm-size anthology gathers 10 traditional European folk- and fairy tales that have been transplanted to Latin America and retold here by storytellers who have "Criollo" (Creole) roots. "Ocelot, Jaguar and Lion," for example, is a Venezuelan version of Hansel and Gretel, while "Maria Tolete" offers a south-of-the-border spin on Cinderella, and "Crooked Foot the Dwarf" bears echoes of The Brave Little Tailor. The stories are smoothly rendered despite an occasional lapse in tone (" 'Wow!' thought the giant. 'This darned dwarf could kill me any minute' "). However, the most receptive audience may be adults and folklorists rather than children in the suggested age range. A foreword that takes a cursory look at the roots of the stories, for instance, assumes some prior knowledge of folklore, and though the book will likely be effective as a read-aloud, the small typeface and somewhat dense prose may raise the bar too high for independent young readers. Full-color artwork, while reflecting a variety of styles, does not expand on the stories' cultural motifs, and thus misses an opportunity to set a distinctively Latin mood. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)