FROM THE PUBLISHER

From "The Prince's Bride" to "The Magic Lake" to "The Deer and the Snail", the classic Filipino children's stories have amused, inspired, and taught millions of children throughout the centuries with poignant, universal life lessons. Now they're gathered together-many for the first time-in this gorgeous volume. Selected and retold by Liana Elena Romulo, augmented with whimsical watercolor illustrations by award-winning artist Joanne De Leon, this precious collection of adored Filipino myths and stories is sure to become a Western classic.Author Bio: Liana Elena Romulo, born in the Philippines, is the proprietor of R&G Publications, a custom-publishing firm based in Manila. She is also a writer and editor specializing in juvenile and young-adult fiction. Romulo has also worked as an editor and managing editor for a leading publisher of children's mass-market fiction. Joanne De Leon is an award-winning illustrator who received her B.F.A. from University of Philippines. She currently works as a freelance book illustrator and graphic designer. Her illustrations have appeared in many children's books, including The Termite Queen and Other Classic Philippine Earth Tales and Tiger on the Wall.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A compilation of 13 short folktales, many of them classics of the Filipino culture. Many of the themes are universal in nature. Tales of greed and laziness and their consequences, nature's ways, family love and loyalty, and humorous trickster tales are all included. Many of the selections have counterparts from other cultures. "The Deer and the Snail" is a "Tortoise and the Hare" variant, and children will recognize "The Prince's Bride" as "Beauty and the Beast" with a twist. Others are quite different, such as "Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Our Ears," which is surprisingly unlike the well-known African tale. "The Battle of the Sea and Sky" is a particularly nice telling of the creation of the Philippine Islands. Each story is accompanied by de Leon's ink-and-watercolor illustrations. The artist has subtly paid tribute to the diversity of the islands by using a variety of styles in the costume, suggestive of the different regions. A lovely addition to folklore collections.-Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.