THE ARMADILLO AND THE MONKEY

This Brazilian folktale tells of the revenge of Mr. Armadillo on Mr. Monkey when the latter wouldn't pay for the fence he ordered built. My reaction is that it's one of those stories that thrives much the best on its native soil, or at least with the personality of a good story-teller to give it color; the able translation of Maria Cimino of the New York Public Library and the author's clever but eminently sophisticated drawings aren't enough to transmit the flavor.