Despite the fact that La Llorona involves a mother who, after she is betrayed by her husband, drowns her children, it remains a popular Hispanic tale. Hayes retells the story in a pedestrian fashion in both English and Spanish. This edition features some new illustrations; the art is occasionally marred by distracting crosshatching. An afterword provides background information.

The most beautiful young woman of her small town, Maria disdains the local youths as beneath her and uses her wiles to attract the handsome son of a wealthy landlord. After a while, however, the headstrong husband loses his interest in Maria and speaks of putting her aside for a wealthy replacement. In rage and madness, Maria throws their children into the river and becomes "the weeping woman," who guiltily haunts the waterways and may even snatch away careless children who stay too long outside at night. Hayes's version is perhaps the classic American version of the classic Latin American folk tale and has been available in its earlier form for 20 years. This new edition features much larger, full-color illustrations destined to make the story even more popular, as well as the direct narration in both Spanish and English. This belongs in every folktale collection, and libraries serving Hispanic children, especially those of Mexican descent, can easily justify purchasing multiple copies. (Folktale. 7-12)

Gr 4 Up-This legendary tale is not only a spine-tingling ghost story, but also a cautionary tale about a breathtakingly lovely, working-class girl. All of the local gallants have their eyes on Mar'a, but she feels that she's destined for better things. Accordingly, she holds out for a wealthy and dashing young ranchero who lives nearby. She plays hard to get, and the ploy is successful. Marriage and two children follow, but her husband is increasingly disenchanted with her. He even "talked of setting Mar'a aside and marrying a woman of his own wealthy class." Mar'a vents her jealousy and anger on her own children; she pushes them into the river, where they drown. Her remorse is immediate and useless. She cannot save them, and she dies of her grief. But her ghost lingers on, crying for the youngsters and willing to take any stray child she finds by the side of the river alone. Textually simpler than Joe Hayes's longer version of the same story in The Day It Snowed Tortillas/El d'a que nevaron tortillas (Cinco Puntos, 2003), this pared-down story packs a punch in both English and the author's fluid Spanish translation. The earth-tone, pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations make use of cross-hatching to create an eerie, almost graphic-novel sensibility that extends the story ably. A solid retelling of a classic tale. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.