THE MOON WAS AT A FIESTA

A second collaboration between a noted Oaxacan artist and a California admirer of Mexican culture. Like The Twenty-Five Mixtec Cats (1993), this tale seems contrived as a showcase for Martinez's art: Jealous of the sun because he has a chance to watch over fiestas, the moon organizes one of her own; but after a night of festivities—and of tasting the delicious food—she's pale and slender, while the human revelers are so weary that ``Crops would have to be planted late and would not grow as tall'' (an exaggerated outcome for a single night's spree). Meanwhile, however, Martinez's paintings—in an appealing surreal style featuring regional motifs and whimsical distortions (the artist terms it ``figurative magic'')—pulse with the fiesta's color and energy. Next time, perhaps, he'll be given a stronger story. (Picture book. 5-8)