cover image El Tio Justo

El Tio Justo

Miguel Angel Suarez Caamal, Humberto Garcia Martinez. Ediciones Castillo, $6.95 (68pp) ISBN 978-970-20-0139-3

K-Gr 4-Pepin is unhappy when his father takes him to the barber, but the boy learns that tio Justo tells marvelous stories as he does his work, beginning with the tale of why lice live in human hair. From that day on, Pepin goes to see the barber even when he doesn't need his services. Tio Justo's other tales include ""The lazy sun,"" about how the stars convince the sun to stop sleeping and start sharing his light, ""The wise grandfather,"" who invents language, and ""The conceited turkey buzzards,"" who are inordinately proud of their white feathers until a bolt of lightning burns them and turns them black. The tales are accompanied by full-color illustrations and, judging from a textual remark early on, are a mix of actual Mexican folklore, presumably from the southern state of Campeche, and original tales. A number of Mayan and slang words are included, many of which are explained in a glossary. Both libraries and bookstores serving Spanish-speaking patrons would do well to stock this title. Coop Renner, Paul C. Moreno Elementary, El Paso, TX