ONCE UPON A TIME/HABÍA UNA VEZ

A successful Mexican-American bookseller makes his debut as a writer with this bilingual collection of seven folktales from Spanish and Latin-American lore. Martínez offers sweet and fresh versions of two Caribbean stories already introduced to the young readers in the United States through prior literary adaptations: “The Wedding Rooster” and “Martina the Cockroach and Pérez the Mouse.” His collection also includes stories that have been told for generations in South America, such as “The Mother of the Jungle,” from Colombian folklore, rich in ghosts and espantos, and “Pedro Urdemales and the Giant,” which originated in Spain and was then popularized in Chile, Argentina and Venezuela. Kids may particularly enjoy the Mexican trickster story, “The Tlacuache and the Coyote.” Unger’s free Spanish translation conveys the author’s storytelling voice and enhances it with the beauty of the stories’ original language. Colón’s exquisitely textured, full-page and border watercolor-and-pencil illustrations and such pleasing design details as flying birds and suns complete this gorgeous collection. (Folktales. 3 & up)