(3) K-3 Translated by Enríque Lamadríd. Illustrated by Amy Córdova. In this book, originally called Maya's Children: The Story of La Llorona, the father of Chicano literature retells the classic Latino folktale of the woman who cries at night for her children. In Anaya's version, La Llorona is an immortal girl named Marisol who is tricked by Father Time. The new illustrations in this bilingual edition appropriately evoke Mexican folk art.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Translated by Enrique R. Lamadrid. Illustrated by Amy Córdova. To plead for rain to save her people, young Jade follows a hummingbird to see the mountain spirit. Impressed by her courage, the mountain spirit gives Jade the gift of corn, and Jade prepares and names the first tortilla. Anaya incorporates elements from Mexican legends into his original story. Córdova's swirling folk-art illustrations are richly layered. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) YA Fascinated by the Latin American legend of the ChupaCabra or "goat sucker," Professor Rosa Medina investigates reported attacks of the monster in Mexico. What she uncovers is that the beast's destruction is tied to drug trafficking. Anaya compares the ChupaCabra's rampage to the effects of drugs on the youth of Los Angeles, a clever idea didactically expressed.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(4) K-3 Translated by Enrique Lamadrid. Illustrated by Amy Cordova. When Don Jacobo, a santero, teaches his grandson the art of carving wooden saints, a saint they work on together creates a Christmas miracle. Suitable for reading aloud in English or Spanish, the story is too long but successfully evokes the spirit of community. The illustrations portray the characters with just the right sense of humanity. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Diaz. Rattlesnake is terrorizing everyone who uses "his" road, so Desert Woman gets the community's animals to collaborate on creating a nemesis for the snake--a bird--comprising their individual attributes (Deer offers two thin branches as nimble legs, etc.). The story is anticlimactic (predictably, Roadrunner trounces Rattlesnake) and its Stone Soup-like message familiar, but the illustrations rendered in a brilliant Southwestern palette are perfect for the tale's milieu.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Amy Cordova. Set in New Mexico's Río Grande valley, these five folktales and five original stories are rich, vibrant tales that enthrall even as they teach important life lessons. Five of the stories were previously published in an adult collection. A black-and-white illustration appears at each story's beginning, and a preface describes Anaya's sources and how he uses them. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Edward Gonzales. Luz eagerly awaits springtime in New Mexico: each year she and her grandfather plant a vegetable garden together. After Abuelo catches fatal pneumonia, Luz carries on their gardening tradition and, ultimately, their Christmas tradition of lighting farolitos. The oil paint illustrations are a bit crude, capturing moods better than human proportions and facial expressions, but the story is solid and subtly uplifting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram