Matthew Gollub is a nationally known children's author, speaker and performer. He has created 18 picture books which together have garnered 25 national awards and distinctions. His musical narrations on audio CDs accompany some of his most popular books including The Jazz Fly and Jazz Fly 2: The Jungle Pachanga. A dynamic drummer and bilingual presenter, he has also performed at over 1,000 elementary schools nationwide, inspiring students and families to read for fun. He lives with his family in Santa Rosa, CA.
"A captivating tale, the resolution of which will bedazzle even the
most impatient readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"A wonderful original folktale . . . filled with curanderos, snakes
and fiesta dances." --School Library Journal
"Richly complex...illustrations, this pourquoi tale is spooky and
dramatically compelling." --Booklist
Gollub and Martinez (The Moon Was at a Fiesta; The Twenty-five Mixtec Cats) pair up for a third and less successful effort, carving a new tale from ancient Mexican folklore. Their story also has ties to Oaxaca, Mexico, where it was believed that a snake in the sky brings about heavy rains. Here, a boy ventures into a forbidden cave and comes out with a snake head atop his human body. A nahual (magic worker) suggests a remedy, that the boy dance at every fiesta and wear a mask for 20 years. He obeys, but when he finally removes his mask he turns into a snake with a human head‘lightning‘which from then on lights up stormy Oaxacan skies. The beguiling connection between undulating, quick-striking snakes and flashes of lightning is overshadowed by the unexpectedly punitive ending and some annoying loose ends. On the bright side, Martinez's delicate watercolors are as fresh and eye-opening as usual, and his eerie, primitivist characters intensify the tale's supernatural flavor. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)
"A captivating tale, the resolution of which will bedazzle even the
most impatient readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"A wonderful original folktale . . . filled with curanderos, snakes
and fiesta dances." --School Library Journal
"Richly complex...illustrations, this pourquoi tale is spooky and
dramatically compelling." --Booklist
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