(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Cece Rios is considered weak by her whole community because she once freed Tzitzimitl, one of the dark criaturas, from capture by her fellow townspeople. But when, thanks to Cece's carelessness on Noche de Muerte, her older sister Juana is taken by El Sombrerón, the Bride Stealer, Cece vows to rescue her even though it means becoming an outlaw bruja. To get to where her sister is being held, Cece needs to win the Bruja Fights, which entails controlling an animal criatura to fight on her behalf, but Cece prefers a partnership with her ­criatura--­legendary Coyote, the Great Namer, who appears in the form of a thirteen-year-old boy and agrees to help her. Cece's "weakness" and soft heart become strengths as she breaks the mold of brujas and draws on water, rather than fire, to fight the dark criaturas. Legends of Central and South America are prominent in this magical desert landscape, filled with details of Latinx culture and Rivera's own take on Nahuatl cosmology. Coyote exudes an appealing vulnerability that lends poignancy to his friendship with Cece. When Cece gains the courage to stand up to her alcoholic father, it's a good sign for her eventual climactic confrontation with El ­Sombrerón. Rich world-building and enticing characterization strike hope for a sequel about the dauntless Cece Rios.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) K-3 Short Tales: Native American Myths series. Illustrated by Estudio Haus. Each of these titles tells one unembroidered, straightforward Native American story about the world's creation or some natural phenomenon, introduced by brief information about the tribe from whence it emanated. There is nothing exceptional about these small-trimmed offerings, though the mythology is nicely distilled for younger children. The color-saturated, active illustrations recall those of graphic novels. Review covers these Native American Myths titles: The Colors of a Sunset, Coyote, Iktome, and the Rock, How the World was Made, and Sky Woman and the Big Turtle.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Gary Clement. First Nations author King (A Coyote Columbus Story) demonstrates his characteristic iconoclastic humor in this anti-consumerism story in rhyme. A little girl drops in on Coyote at Christmastime. Setting out to bring her home, Coyote temporarily falls under the spell of excessive consumption at the mall. Dryly humorous cartoon illustrations in pen-and-ink and watercolor wash put Coyote's emotions on full display.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by William Kent Monkman. First published in 1992 in Canada, this free-spirited Coyote story is a kind of meta-trickster tale, with Coyote fooling the moose and beavers, then the local human beings, then...Christopher Columbus and Jacques Cartier. Recklessly anachronistic in its mixture of traditional tale, contemporary references, and political point making, with burlesquing illustrations to match, this sly tale will find a small but appreciative audience.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) K-3 Mother Hawk, angered when Coyote steals her breakfast, dives at him with her sharp talons and in the process creates Utah's Deep Creek Mountain Range. This version of the traditional tale, retold and illustrated by the children and teachers of the Ibapah Elementary School in Utah, is stiff, but the vibrantly colored mixed-media illustrations and attractive border designs make this a fine collaborative offering. A note about the Goshute is included.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(2) K-3 Tales of the People series. Illustrated by Tom Coffin. Ol' Man Coyote leaves the Potawatomi reservation to be Rodent Control Officer at the World Trade Center, where, gazing up at the sky, he falls in love with a star. Later, the star drops him--literally--and he falls, creating the Reservoir in Central Park. Rich paintings convey Coyote's antics in this modern retelling sprinkled with references to Native culture. Only brief information is given about the tale's origin. Glos.

Reviewer: Debbie Reese | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999