Uncle Snake

Gollub and Martinez (The Moon Was at a Fiesta; The Twenty-five Mixtec Cats) pair up for a third and less successful effort, carving a new tale from ancient Mexican folklore. Their story also has ties to Oaxaca, Mexico, where it was believed that a snake in the sky brings about heavy rains. Here, a boy ventures into a forbidden cave and comes out with a snake head atop his human body. A nahual (magic worker) suggests a remedy, that the boy dance at every fiesta and wear a mask for 20 years. He obeys, but when he finally removes his mask he turns into a snake with a human head--lightning--which from then on lights up stormy Oaxacan skies. The beguiling connection between undulating, quick-striking snakes and flashes of lightning is overshadowed by the unexpectedly punitive ending and some annoying loose ends. On the bright side, Martinez's delicate watercolors are as fresh and eye-opening as usual, and his eerie, primitivist characters intensify the tale's supernatural flavor. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)