After hearing my classmates share more about la llorona, I was immediately interested in this picture book. While I think the verbal storytelling, and added pieces from many families made the story so much more fun to learn, I did love the illustrations and different story this one told. ( )

The retelling of this tale tames the original and dispels children's fears of a murderous mother who might come after them. It also captures the mystery and symbolism common to lore, but it falls short of explaining how or why the tale may have become distorted. If more elements from the original could be found in the story but told with a new, imaginative twist, the storyline might be more memorable. The main element that is missing is the development of the time god character. Why does he grow jealous? How does his character connect to that of the fabled lover?
Classroom uses: useful for comparative mythology and introduction to symbolism ( )