Tales Our Abuelitas Told - F. Isabel Campoy, Alma Flor Ada

Campoy, F. Isabel and Alma Flor Ada. 2006. Tales our Abuelitas told. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Grades 2 - 8

Twelve stories from varied roots of Hispanic culture come together in a colorful collection that includes talking ants, magic bagpipes, dancing goats, and flying horses. In some cases the tales emphasize a moral, such as looking for the good in any bad situation as in “Catlina the Fox.” In others, the story illustrates the importance of friends, as in the case of “The Bird of One Thousand Colors.” The authors seek to trace the origins of the stories through personal source notes, citing variants of the original story and the historical history behind the tales. Of note is a tale of Juan Bobo that is included in this collection. Juan Bobo has entertained children and adults for more than five centuries with his antics and absent-mindedness. While Juan Bobo is well known by many, “The Bird of One Thousand Colors” is a story that Alma Flor Ada was unable to trace to an original source, although she remembers being told the story by her grandmother. Throughout the collection, culturally accurate illustrations catch the eye with vivid colors and intricate details that convey aspect of the story. Each story leads naturally to the next, keeping alive the oral traditions of a rich culture that spans the continents.

It should be noted that this particular collection is now available in Spanish.