ADVENTURES OF JABOTI ON THE AMAZON

Whether he's originally from Asia or Africa is unknown, but Jaboti the slow-moving, quick witted turtle is a favorite along the Amazon; here he could benefit for a crisper story shell for his antics. Chief adversary is Yarete (Isurete) the jaguar; boon companion is his flute, a constant temptation to thieves. The trickster outfaces Suasu the deer with help from relatives along the way (literally) and he readily outwits both alligator and tapir. Eleven fables in all, including a tongue-in-cheek first meeting with man (a strange creature), these were gathered by the author from riverbank-dwelling natives. The prevalence of dialogue in an undistinguished text makes this better for self-reading.