Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico

Bernier-Grand retells a quartet of traditional folktales from her native land for this latest offering in the I Can Read series. Juan Bobo, a well-meaning scamp, tries to be good, but like a Puerto Rican Amelia Bedelia, he continually thwarts his mother by taking each of her instructions quite literally. Complaining that the water buckets are too heavy for him to carry, for instance, he's told by his exasperated mother to use something else. Juan Bobo settles on a pair of baskets, and the water, naturally, ends up in a puddle on the floor. In another story, an invitation to dinner and the attendant lecture from Mama on best behavior result in a comedy of errors--and one very hungry boy. The hot tropical colors of Ramos Nieves's stylized illustrations further enliven the tales, giving them a fiesta atmosphere. Spanish-speaking readers will find translations of the stories in the back of the book; the placement, however, seems a bit odd--surely it would have been more effective to allow the Spanish text to share the striking artwork. Ages 4-8. (May)