Maya's Children : The Story of La Llorona

Anaya, Rudolfo A.

3.67

30 ratings by Goodreads

9780786821242: Maya's Children : The Story of La Llorona

ISBN 10: 0786821248 ISBN 13: 9780786821242

Publisher: Disney Pr, 1997

Born in a Mexican village, Maya is told by a priest that she has a mark on her that signifies immortality, but the god of time, does not like hearing that and, in revenge, he abducts Maya's children, causing Maya to search the earth and cry for her lost children forever.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-4. Throughout the Hispanic Americas and the southwestern U.S., generations of young people have heard the tale of "La Llorona," the crying woman who killed her children long ago and who wanders through the night wailing with grief and sometimes kidnapping unchaperoned youngsters. In this less violent version of the story, Anaya has created Maya, a baby born in ancient Mexico with a sun-shaped birthmark that renders her immortal. Angered by her immortality, Se?or Tiempo, the god of time, vows to destroy Maya's future offspring. When she grows up and longs for companionship, an owl tells her how to grow babies in clay pots. If she saves the pots, the owl says, Se?or Tiempo cannot hurt her children. Sadly, the god tricks Maya into throwing the pots into a lake, and the youngsters perish. Maya's pain-filled wails can still be heard at night. Although the original folktale is frightening, Anaya's poetic retelling is sad and wistful. Ethereal, gouache figures give the story a timeless, fantastic look. Pervasive dark shades heighten the tragedy. Children might enjoy comparing Joe Hayes's La Llorona (Cinco Puntos, 1986), a traditional rendition, with this variant. Gloria Anzaldua's Prietita and the Ghost Woman (Children's Book Press, 1996) is also a gentler version of the story, but superior prose and a clearer explanation of La Llorona's misfortune make Anaya's retelling the better choice.?Denise E. Agosto, Midland County Public Library, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 6^-9. A celebrated Chicano writer offers his version of the Latin American legend of La Llorona, "the crying woman." In ancient Mexico, a daughter of the sun god is born to human parents. She is named Maya and is destined to live forever. That angers Senor Tiempo, the god of time, who jealously vows to find a way to ensure that Maya's immortality will not be passed on to her children. In an author's note, Anaya explains that he has tempered the violence of the original tale and made Maya a sympathetic character rather than one designed to frighten children. Instead, Senor Tiempo becomes "the bad guy," and a traditional tale becomes a lesson to "teach youngsters about mortality." Fortunately the story is less didactic than Anaya's description. Baca's gouache illustrations are notable for the richness of their colors and the beautiful borders that frame them. Michael Cart

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