Golden Tales: Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Latin America [Hardcover]

Lulu Delacre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

Twelve classic tales of Latin America celebrate the literature, culture, and history of thirteen countries, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. By the author of Arroz Con Leche.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Four cultures and 13 countries feature in this handsome volume. Each section begins with a brief description of the culture of origin and an appendix provides sources for the myths; the stories are embellished with oil paintings and traditional motifs. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?The principal strength of this collection is that it mingles traditional creation myths and ethnic folktales with stories that show the Spanish influence in the Caribbean and Mexico. The tales that come from Colombia and the areas encompassed by the Inca Empire are more traditional. An introduction gives background on the Taino, Zapotec, Muisca, and Inca civilizations. Each of the four sections, one for each group, begins with a one-page description of their histories. The type font is attractive, and the pages are open and easy to read. There are ample full-color illustrations of average quality for each story and a good map of Latin America that shows the areas each tribe inhabited. Excellent source notes and a good pronunciation guide round out the volume. It is difficult, however, to discern who the audience for this book might be. The prose tends to be plodding, sometimes even turgid. ("Silently they embraced once more, for a long moment of passion. Fully possessed by his love, she knew his heart was forever hers.") Most elementary students would be hard pressed to read the text straight through, and it does not read well aloud. This book might best be used as a research tool, or with units on native Latin American cultures in conjunction with Deborah Nourse Lattimore's Why There Is No Arguing in Heaven (HarperCollins, 1989), Jane Yolen's Encounter (Harcourt, 1992), Verna Aardeema's Borreguita and the Coyote (Knopf, 1991), or Lois Ehlert's Moon Rope/Un Lazo a la luna (Harcourt, 1992).?Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 73 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; First Edition edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059048186X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590481861
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LULU DELACRE has been writing and illustrating children's books for almost thirty years, striving to create quality literature. Her Latino heritage and her wide ranging life experiences inform her books.

Delacre's many beloved books include Horn Book Fanfare Book, "Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America" and "Salsa Stories", an IRA Outstanding International Book. "The Bossy Gallito", "Arrorro mi nino: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games" and "The Storyteller's Candle" are winners of the Pura Belpre Honor Medal for Illustration.

"Alicia Afterimage", the author's latest work is the Delacre's first book for young adults. It was written in memory of her daughter, who was killed in a car accident at the age of sixteen. After Alicia's death in 2004, Delacre interviewed twenty-two of her daughter's friends; the thoughts, emotions, and memories they shared became the basis for the book. "I believe that if this book helps bring some solace to others who must endure grief," she says, "it will have achieved its goal."

Delacre has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and France. She is a grantee of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, and has been honored both as a Maryland Woman in the Arts and as a Write from Maryland Author.

A native of Puerto Rico, Delacre lives in Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for multicultural studies in elementary schools, January 7, 2012

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Golden Tales: Myths and Legends from Latin America (Paperback)

One of the best ways that you can learn the background of a culture is to read their myths and legends. They are a way to reach back into the very origins of the society that has perpetuated them. In this case, some of the legends are not all that old, having as their basis the first arrival of the Spanish conquistadores.

Those involving the Spanish are some of the saddest myths, in that they were created by a people that were being decimated, yet the older ones had memories of when they were a great and powerful people. The title is a bit inaccurate, for the area of the origin of the myths extends down to Columbia and Peru, which is South America.

I always enjoy reading myths; they are one of the best ways to perform multicultural studies while entertaining. This book is a worthy addition to the study of other cultures in elementary schools.