Product Description

Latin America, a mystery to most Canadians, shares the hemisphere with us. This book introduces us to some of the richness of this vast and beautiful place, which is both a geographical location and a mental construct.

Hundreds of cultures share its space. Native peoples, European settlers both old and new, and slaves from Africa have all jostled together over the past five hundred years. Out of their experiences and cultures come the stories in this collection.

Here we find warriors and princesses who turn into towering volcanoes, as well as different versions of how fire came into their world. There are wise fools, rainbow-coloured horses and dangerous magicians who steal young girls.

No single volume can do more than provide a sampling of the treasure trove of Latin American tale-telling. But in this book we find some of the complex and fascinating threads that weave in and around the peoples of jade and iron.

The stories in the anthology are drawn from a series of books published by a ground-breaking Latin American publishing collective, and have been told or retold by various noted authors and folklorists. Hugh Hazelton, the translator lives in Montreal and is a specialist in Latin American literature. Editor Patricia Aldana was born and raised in Guatemala and has a long standing interest in Latin America. She lives in Toronto.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #895078 in Books
• Published on: 1996-08-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .44" h x 8.38" w x 10.31" l, .94 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

From Amazon.com
Subtitled, "Latin American Tales from Two Cultures" this anthology is guaranteed to captivate young minds. Part One contains mythic tales from the native inhabitants explaining how the world came to be. There are warriors and princesses who turn into towering volcanoes, an opossum who steals fire for mankind, and a giant worm who drinks a river so people can find fish. Part Two contains stories from the Europeans who came to the New World and is about people's relationships with each other and with nature. There's a mysterious woman magician who escapes from jail on a flying boat, horses the color of rainbows, and a jungle creature who enchants a young girl. These fascinating stories are beautifully illustrated by Luis Garay. Ages 7 and up.

From Booklist
Gr. 5^-8. In a picture-book format, this collection of 14 stories, some new, others familiar, provides readers with a sampling of traditional legends and folktales from Latin America, an area defined as beginning at the Rio Grande and extending to Tierra del Fuego. A majority of the stories are from Venezuela, Mexico, and Chile; half come from native people, and the remainder from later settlers and their descendants. Subjects of the stories range from haunted ships and witches to romance and humorous trickery. Full-page color illustrations by Luis Garay depict strong, dignified characters, but the pictures do not always seem consistent with the text: in a Chilean Indian legend, for example, people who have not yet discovered fire are pictured wearing sophisticated headgear and clothing. Sources are briefly cited and often refer to oral informants, but because the tales are so rich in detail and so culturally or regionally distinctive, more specific notes would have been welcomed. Karen Morgan

Horn Book
"Meticulous cross-hatching lends volume and texture to the figures in his carefully planned compositions. Jade and Iron deserves attention not only for these striking illustrations, but also for the glimpse it provides into the multifaceted folklore of Latin America"