Kimmel retells six tales from Adina de Zavala’s History and Legends of the Alamo and Other Missions In and Around San Antonio (1996). These are stories of miracles involving padres, Our Lady and unwavering faith for young readers. The background is 17th-, 18th- and early 19th-century Texas, then under the rule of Spain and Mexico, and the conflicts between Spanish colonizers and Indians is evident in these brief tales, which include strong moral lessons. A pair of stories about padres concludes, “Always be polite and kind to strangers, especially if they wear brown robes and walk with sandals on their feet.” This is “what parents in San Antonio tell their children to this day.” Guevara’s lush full-page illustrations contain holy figures, often larger than life, radiating beams of light, and sometimes floating through the air, in the style of popular religious art well suited to these tales. These tales of simple folk beliefs may charm some readers and irritate others. (timeline for the Texas Missions, introduction, author’s note) (Folktale anthology. 6-10)
