Sunday, June 22, 2008

Folktale Review - Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet: Mexican Folktales By: Neil Philip

Bibliography
Philip, N. (2003). Horse hooves and chicken Feet: Mexican folktales. Ill. by Jacqueline Mair. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618194630

Plot Summary
Neil Philip provides us with 14 folktales from Mexico, as well as Mexican populations in Colorado and New Mexico. The folktales portray everyday people, in unusual circumstances. The stories are about love, religion, witchcraft, magic, and of course, good triumphing over evil. In The Flea, a young boy wishes to marry the magician’s daughter. He is given the test of hiding where the magician cannot find him. Eventually, the boy hides on the brim of the magician’s sombrero, winning his daughter. The Hog provides a particularly important lesson about greed. A man is so selfish that he will not share his fattened hog with the village. The man’s friend and he devise a plan to claim that the hog was stolen. The man’s friend actually does steal the great hog from the egotistical man, and realizes that the man had no intention of even sharing with him. “So the friend got the whole hog, and the man was left with nothing – and some say he was too mean to share even that with his neighbors” (Phillip, 2003). In Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet, young boys become fixated of beautiful dancing women. Luckily, one of the boys discovers that the women all have chicken’s feet and the men have horse hooves. These dancing women were actually witches. The boy and his friends nearly escaped them. Cinder Juan was one story that had many of the same scenarios as Cinderella. The youngest brother, Juan, was forced to sleep in squalor conditions, with only a cat as a friend. Juan finds buried gold that his deceased father left for him. Juan and the cat go away to a new town where they are very generous with their riches. Juan’s older brothers come looking for him, but Juan is hiding in the priest’s home. The cat tells Juan that in order to be safe he must pay the priest to have a mass for the souls of his dead mother and father. After the masses, Juan realizes that his friend the cat is actually the soul of his father, who is now retuning to God.

Critical Analysis
There is a heavy undertone of Catholicism prevalent throughout the book. While reading Pedro the Trickster, we see Pedro speaking to the Lord, and reciting the Hail Mary prayer when he is in trouble. In Cinder Juan, everything is saved once masses have been had for the soul of Juan’s dead parents. The priest’s home is a safe haven for Juan. Being Catholic, I can relate to the message in this story. As long as one stays true to their Catholic faith, good will beat evil each time. The Blessed Virgin Mary is also written about it The Seven Oxen. The girl in the story was convinced that the Blessed Virgin gave her food for her family. The element of witchcraft and the devil is also rampant throughout the stories. Whenever a character is greedy or selfish, they devil makes an appearance in the illustrations.
Jacqueline Mair’s pictures in the book grasp the culture and traditions of the Mexican people. The illustrations resemble paintings from Mexican artists like Frida Kahlo. The bright colors and animate faces contribute to the tales being told. The religious pictures are very bold. Angels are drawn as pleasant-faced winged creatures. The devils and demons appear to be dancing around with their tongues out, and arms stretched widely, as if they will grab you and take you away. The stories and pictures open the reader’s eyes to a world and culture that they may not have known about.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal
In an informative introduction, Philip delineates the distinctive flavor of Mexican tales, their blend of religion and humor, and the particular pointed bite of many of the stories. The sparkle he discerns in the body of work comes through clearly in his stylish and humorous retellings. Mair's primitive acrylic illustrations, based on Mexican folk art, are alive with bright color and a kinetic sensibility. They both complement and extend the spicy stories, making this a well-put-together package. Clearly superior to the Little Book of Latin American Folktales (Groundwood, 2003), this title is narrower in scope, but the excellence of the text more than compensates for it. The book concludes with detailed notes on each of the stories and an extensive bibliography. All of the stories tell aloud well, which may be the way to introduce this sound and enjoyable volume to youngsters.

Booklist
The stories are simply yet effectively retold, usually in five or six pages, with many reflecting the strong influence of the Catholic Church on Mexican culture. Adding considerably to the overall appeal of the book are Mair's exuberant illustrations, accomplished in the style of Mexican folk art. Usually, one illustration comprising several images accompanies each story, each image mirroring some action, often in a way that is original and unexpected.

Connections:
Children will enjoy reading folktales from the Mexican culture. Those children who are already familiar with the tales will be able to share more about them, even telling some of their own that they may have grown up with. While reading the stories, teachers can ask children if they have heard similar ones before. The children may be able to relate The Priest Who Had a Glimpse of Glory to Rip Van Winkle.
Additional recommended books:
*Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions by John Bierhorst
ISBN 0375714391
*Fiesta Feminina: Celebrating Women In Mexican Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson
ISBN 1841488070

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