MOMENTOS MAGICOS/MAGIC MOMENTS
Latin America Folktales Told in English and Spanish
by Olga Loya
Momentos M†gicos/Magic Moments ($11.95 paperback original; Jan. 1998; 188 pp.; 0-87483-497-X): A charming bilingual collection of 15 Latin American folktales retold by a popular Mexican-American performance artist. Several are variants of stories familiar to us from such earlier taletellers as Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, and Joel Chandler Harris (e.g., ``The Monkey and the Crocodile,'' ``Uncle Rabbit and Uncle Tiger''). More specifically indigenous material includes the famous ``The Virgin of Guadalupe,'' a selection of Aztec and Mayan creation myths, and some genuinely creepy ghost stories (especially the wonderful ``The Rooster's Claw''). A very attractive volume, and an ideal holiday gift.