UNDER THE MANGO TREE Stories from Spanish Speaking Countries

Bonet, born and raised in Puerto Rico for six years before moving to Panama, draws on her cultural heritage to present an eclectic mix of four traditional Latin-American folktales, including a Juan Bobo story. These are combined with two spirited accounts of events from her own childhood. With an enthusiastic and lyrical narrative style, Bonet makes judicious use of pacing and frequent repetition. Because she tells her stories in English, generously sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, immediately defined, this repetition is particularly appealing and often quite memorable. Non-Spanish speaking listeners are likely to find Spanish phrases singing in their memories after the last tale has been told. Lively piano music introduces and separates the tales. T.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]