title: Whiskers, Tails & Wings: Animal Folktales from Mexico
author:  Judy Goldman 
description: Gr 3-6This well-crafted resource offers folktales from five indigenous peoples of Mexico. Each tale is accompanied by an overview of the group's culture and history and a glossary. The Tarahumara tale, When Seor Grillo Met Seor Puma, is a classic story of a feisty cricket who outsmarts an arrogant puma and his friends. In the Seri tale, Mosni's Search, a patient sea turtle is the last animal chosen by the god of creation to retrieve sand from the sea bottom, and she is ultimately the one who succeeds. The Huichol tale, Tlacuache's Tail, features an opossum that steals fire to share with the people and in the process winds up with a hairless, burnt tail. He finds he can use it for hanging upside down, and his resourcefulness is celebrated. The Triqui people live in the Oaxacan region; their tale, Ouch! celebrates the lowly flea and tells why he was created. The Tseltal live in the Chiapas region, and they are part of the Mayan ethnic group. Pokok Up High relates what happens when a frog asks a vulture to carry him aloft. The tales are straightforward and lively, and this novel approach to cultural studies should prove welcome and useful. The richly detailed illustrations, done in acrylics and watercolor on custom paper and completed digitally, add to the book's appealing design.Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
zlib_text: The
  Mexican
  Pet
  
  Other books by Jan Harold Brunvand
  THE TRUTH NEVER STANDS IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY
  AMERICAN FOLKLORE: AN ENCYCLOPEDIA
  THE BABY TRAIN
  CURSES! BROILED AGAIN!
  THE MEXICAN PET
  THE CHOKING DOBERMAN
  THE VANISHING HITCHHIKER
  THE STUDY OF AMERICAN FOLKLORE
  READINGS IN AMERICAN FOLKLORE
  TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
  
  The
  Mexican
  Pet
  More “New” Urban Legends
  and Some Old Favorites
  JAN HAROLD BRUNVAND
  UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
  W·W·NORTON & COMPANY
  New York . London
  
  CONTENTS
  PREFACE When Will It All End?
  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  1. Animal Stories
  “The Mexican Pet”
  “The Kangaroo Thief”
  “The Giant Catfish”
  “The Can of Snakes”
  “The Hapless Waterskier”
  “The Incautious Swimmer”
   “The Dead Cat in the Package”
  Exploding Animals
  “The Animal’s Revenge”
  “The Choking Doberman”
  2. Automobiles
  “The Vanishing Hitchhiker”
  “The Decapitated Pet or Person”
  “The Killer in the Backseat”
  “The Gerbil- (or Snake-) Caused Accident”
  “The Nut and the Tire Nuts”
  “The Severed Fingers”
  “Old vs. Young”
  3. Horrors
  “The Clever Baby-si