Fiesta Femenina

Gr 3-6-A sophisticated and well-told collection of stories about Mexican women, these eight tales include folklore from a variety of the country's rich cultural traditions. Beginning with Maya and Aztec stories, Gerson also relates folktales of Mixtec, Yaqui, and Euro-Mexican origin. The protagonists are all unique and powerful in differing ways, showing bravery, cunning, trustworthiness, empathy, and serene certainty. Running the gamut from religious ("The Virgin of Guadalupe") to traditional ("Blancaflor," in which a young woman uses magic to help her man) to comic ("Why the Moon is Free"), these selections are soundly composed, diverse, and celebratory of both the women and the land from which they come. Gerson's prose is lively and engaging, drawing readers in and conveying pictures of believable people in fantastic situations. Gonzalez's primitive acrylic paintings are strong and vigorous, and their riotous use of color enhances the stories tremendously. This is a highly successful melding of story and pictures, and will appeal to upper-elementary students-with a little selling to get them past the picture-book appearance. A worthy addition to most folktale collections, this is more child-oriented than John Bierhorst's The Monkey's Haircut (Morrow, 1986), and is enhanced by a thoughtful introduction and thorough source notes.

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Eight more heroines representing different cultural traditions are noted in Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktales retold by Mary-Joan Gerson, illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. The famous legend of "The Virgin of Guadalupe" sits alongside the Mayan tale "Rosha and the Sun," in which a girl rescues the sun after her brother traps it, and the Aztec tale "Malintzin of the Mountain," sheds light on the controversial woman who fell for Cortés and helped him conquer her own people. Vibrant illustrations in the tradition of each culture, and attractive borders that unify each tale, bring these women to life.

Copyright 2001 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.