It’s not easy to follow on the heels of Neil Gaiman’s STARDUST, but I’m afraid the book I chose to read next for the Once Upon a Time challenge is a disappointingly slow read. In Warriors, Gods & Spirits From Central & South American Mythology, the artwork is gorgeous, but the narrative is dry, and there’s too much explanation and not enough actual storytelling! The mythology of Central and South America is wonderful and the stories should have carried me away. This book wasn’t quite what I expected, and has a more scholarly approach to the narrative. The author was a scholar of mythology and religion, but he wasn’t a natural-born storyteller, which is too bad because the book was intended for young people. The young people I work with would love the illustrations but would probably lose interest in the text. That’s too bad because the subject matter is fascinating.
A Fondness For Reading
…thoughts, memories, and ideas from a lifetime of reading
A Fondness For Reading 
That’s too bad indeed. I had the same problem when a Brazilian Native Folklore I read for the challenge. I wish I knew of a really good South American Folklore book. There must be one out there, but so far I’ve had no luck.
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Oh that’s too bad. It sounds like it had so much promise too – like you said probably good but more like a textbook. Well, hopefully your next book will be a good one 🙂
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Arianna and Iliana, I was disappointed, but I’m on the search for another book of Latin American stories. There’s another old series called Folk Tales & Fables Of… I’ve read one book in the series (Asia and Australia) and the stories were told really well. The whole series is done by the same author and illustrator. Their volume on the Americas & the Pacific is out of print, but the library has a copy, so I’ve put it on hold. I’m hopeful!
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Yes, following up Stardust is indeed difficult. Isn’t it always disappointing when the subject matter of a book is really interesting but the author fails to make reading about it interesting? Sorry this is a slow read. You can always substitute it out for something else if it gets unbearable.
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Carl, I’m looking for a replacement for the South American myths/folktales. And I’m following up Stardust with more Neil Gaiman! I’ll post on Coraline tomorrow.
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