Pinkney, Jerry. 2006. The little red hen. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

With a beckoning flick of her wing, the Little Red Hen herself invites readers to come inside for a closer look at a retelling of the classic tale of work and reward. When the Little Red Hen finds grain seeds while out feeding her chicks, she returns to the farm and asks for help from the other farm animals to plant the seeds. With the predictable response from each—“Not I”, the Little Red Hen plants the seeds herself. The story continues with the heroine tending and harvesting the grain, taking the grain to the mill and baking the bread. With each chore, the farm animals lazily answer “Not I” to the hen’s plea for help. When the bread is finally baked and the table is set for dinner with the jar of berry jam from Mr. Miller, the hen returns the favors of the animals by not sharing her dinner with them. As readers delve into the story, the color-coded text naming the animals makes this a perfect choice for responsive reading for readers of all ages. The illustrations are signature Pinkney and are so realistic that readers will truly feel that they have visited the farm and met the characters. The details in each picture are exquisite and will encourage readers to find something new each time the book is opened. This retelling of a classic tale is a wonderful addition to any library.

Selected by Neil Philip, this collection of 14 Mexican folktales range from a classic Cinderella tale—“The Two Marias” to the silly “The Mule Drivers Who Lost Their Feet”. The varied collection of folktales is retold in short, easy-to-read sections that lend themselves well to reading or telling aloud. Although the stories lack much of the detail readers expect in widely-known European tales, the witty and stylish retellings will inspire a giggle or two in readers and listeners alike. Although the abrupt endings may frustrate readers who anticipate extended conclusions, the detailed notes and bibliography at the end of the book provide background and insight into each tale that will satisfy even the harshest critic. The acrylic artwork by Mair complements the text with primitive folk art that has a distinctive Mexican flavor. Each tale has one full-page illustration depicting several scenes from the story and each non-illustrated page is accented with a chili pepper above the page numbers. The combination of traditional literature and artwork make this an interesting pairing that combines conventional folkloric elements and Catholicism that one expects from a collection of Mexican folktales.

Mora, Pat. Illustrated by Raul Colon. 2005. Doña Flor: a tall tale about a giant woman with a great big heart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Flor grew exceptionally large because her mother “sang to her in a voice sweet as river music” when she was a baby. Although some children laughed at her because she was different, most people in the village came to love her and began calling her Doña Flor to show their respect. Even the animals would listen to her when she spoke. From making her mountain-sized home open to everyone in town to making raft-sized tortillas to share, Doña Flor watched over those she loved. When her neighbors heard a loud “Rrrr-oarrr!” and were afraid, she began hunting for the puma that was frightening them. The larger-than-life depiction of the story’s heroine exemplifies her ingenuity and will bring readers back again and again to hear the legend of Doña Flor. The Spanish words scattered throughout the text along with Colon’s earth-toned illustrations mesh beautifully with the southwestern tone of the story and surround readers with movement and texture on each page. The watercolor washes, etchings and litho pencils are signature Colon and draw readers into Doña Flor’s world as she and her animal friends save their town from the “big monster gato” and firmly place this tale in the hearts of readers.

Morales, Yuyi. 2003. Just a minute: a trickster tale and counting book. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 

When a skeleton knocks on Grandma Beetle’s door and beckons her to come with him, Grandma Beetle begs for “just a minute” as she rushes around completing tasks numbered one to ten and uno to dias. While the skeleton visitor appears to enjoy the tasks at first and enjoys watching Grandma while he waits, he begins to suspect a plot as the tasks go on and he gets more and more frustrated as the waiting continues. When nine grandchildren arrive at Grandma’s house to celebrate her birthday—a party where the skeleton is the tenth guest, the skeleton leaves Grandma’s house with a note anticipating being a guest at her next birthday. Although children may not understand the significance of the skeleton’s arrival, the warm and loving hug that Grandma Beetle shares with her grandchildren will warm even the hardest hearts. The warm colors of Morales’ illustrations follow the Mexican theme of the book. The rounded figure of Grandma Beetle and the friendly comical appearance of the skeleton will ensure long life to this folktale for readers of all ages.

Gerson, Mary-Joan. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. 2001. Fiesta Femenina: celebrating women in Mexican folktale. New York: Barefoot Books. 

Mitton, Tony. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. 2006. All afloat on Noah’s boat. New York: Orchard Books. 

As Noah finishes the ark and prepares for the flood, pairs of animals join him on the ark. After the rain has come and gone, and the land is still covered with water, the animals begin to get bored. When the pairs get grumpy and can’t get along, Noah saves the day with the suggestion of a talent show. The animals all compete in the show, including the caterpillars who share their talent of spinning cocoons. While the frogs do hyper-hops and the toucans play a rhythm on the deck, the caterpillars fret that they cannot compete while enclosed in their cocoons. Noah once again saves the show by having all the animals watch the caterpillar’s last act as all the animals come out, “two by two, on a world that waited, bright and new”. The text in this traditional flood story not only rhymes, but curves up, down and all around, simulating water and emphasizing the crazy feel of the animals that have been stuck together in a small space too long. The bright colors in Parker-Rees’ illustrations along with the extraordinarily expressive faces of the animals make this story stand out and will have readers of all ages laughing out loud and making plans to stage their own talent show.

Tucker, Kathy. Illustrated by Grace Lin. The seven Chinese sisters. 2003. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. 

Once there were seven Chinese sisters, each of whom had a different talent. The first sister could ride a scooter as fast as the wind; the second sister knew karate; the third sister could count beyond five hundred; the fourth sister could talk to dogs; fifth sister could catch any ball; and sixth sister could cook the most delicious noodle soup in the world. Seventh sister was a baby, and her talents were not yet known. One day, when sixth sister was making her noodle soup, the dragon from the mountain smelled it and came down. When he spotted the seventh sister, he forgot about the soup and took her to have for dinner. The baby’s first word was “Help!” which brought the other six sisters running. Using teamwork and their special talents, the sisters rescue the seventh sister and return home for some noodle soup. The simplistic illustrations by Grace Lin provide the dragon with a personality and emphasize each sister’s particular talent. The bright colors and Chinese landscape provide a witty support to Tucker’s story and gives readers a sense of empathy with the hungry, sad, and not too scary dragon.

Set to the rhythm of a well-known folk song, “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More” Beaumont has written an entertaining tale of a child who loves to paint. When the main character gets into trouble for painting on the walls, floor, ceiling, curtains and door, he decides that he won’t paint anymore. However, with a childlike enthusiasm and unwillingness to give up a great form of expression, he retrieves the paints from where they were hidden and begins to paint his body. The rhyming text and layout of the book makes it a wonderful read aloud. Each turn of the page reveals a newly painted part and the rhyming text makes it easy for readers of all ages to predict the next part that has been painted. Catrow’s use of pen and ink along with watercolor is particularly effective as illustrations are black and white, except for the paint that is being used. Each newly painted part is alive with texture and fancy and includes a leg that looks like an Easter egg and a row of ants marching up the boy’s arm. The dog in the story provides expression and an added touch of humor to an already comical story that readers will want to hear read or sung again and again.

Child, Lauren. 2000. Beware of the storybook wolves. New York: Scholastic Press.

Little Red Riding Hood was Herb’s favorite bedtime story—at least until his mother forgot to take the book with her when she left for the night. When the Big Bad Wolf comes out of the storybook and is joined by the smaller wolf from the back cover of the book, it takes all Herb’s imagination and a little help from other fairy tales and a Fairy Godmother to set things right. The text alternates between block style and a more informal curly version with character words in bold. The text follows the illustrations and style of the story, curving in and out of pages in a way that draws readers into the story. The colorful, cartoon-style illustrations enhance the quirky nature of the tale and encourage readers to laugh out loud, not only at the “happy-ever-afterly” story, but at the expressive faces of the book’s characters, from Herb himself to the “tiny caterpillar trying with all his might to terrify a little girl in a red coat”.

Muth, Jon J. 2003. Stone soup. New York: Scholastic Press.

With a change of setting, Jon Muth retells an old favorite. Three Buddhist monks are travelling through the mountains of China discussing what makes people happy. Old Siew, the wisest of the three, suggests that they go into the village below and find out. Not realizing that the villagers have become wary and distrustful, not only of strangers but of each other, the monks enter the village and knock on doors. At each house, there is no answer, and the house goes dark. The monks begin making stone soup, which interests the villagers enough to open their windows to watch. As the story progresses, the villagers overcome their distrust and work together to make a wonderful meal, which they all share. The misty hues of the watercolors by Muth slowly give way to more vibrant colors as the soup simmers along with the plot. The soft lines and blurred edges give softness to the illustrations and give a feeling of calm and peacefulness to the retelling. Although many readers would disbelieve the ease with which the monks change the attitude of the villagers, Muth’s retelling is classic with an unusual twist that provides the basis for comparisons with other versions.