cover image Cuentos Para Chicos y Grandes = Stories for Young and Old

Cuentos Para Chicos y Grandes = Stories for Young and Old

Hilda Perera. Lectorum Publications, $7.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-880507-92-6

Gr 3-5-This collection of eight short stories won the Premio Lazarillo in 1975 and is now available in reprint through Lectorum. The selections range from the allegorical to descriptive narrative. In ""Nadi,"" for example, the language and imagery are quite poetic. ""Pedrin y la garza"" (""Little Pete and the Heron"") is about love lost and found, and the mood is dreamy and somewhat dreary. ""Quintin"" features a mischievous gnome who, seeking fame, invents sleep for human beings. In ""El loro pelon"" (""The Bald Parrot""), an American couple from Chicago learn about the value of home from a parrot they purchase while on a Caribbean vacation. The straightforward narrative pieces are much stronger than the allegorical ones. The black-and-white drawings add an element of whimsy to each story. An altogether pleasant collection. M.O.B.