This is the third out-of-print Newbery that I've read. Am I surprised that it's out-of-print? No. Am I sad? A little, I found this to be a fun collection of fairy tales. I have loved Latin American culture for many years, and was delighted to find that I had never heard any of these stories. For the most part the Newbery Awards have been given to books set in either the U.S. or Europe. Some of these stories are scary, like most fairy tales were originally intended to be, and I could see why some parents found it off-putting.
Due to the out-of-print nature of this book it was harder to locate than many of the other books. I managed to buy a copy from a library book sale, and found a copy in circulation at another library, but those were my only sightings in the time that I've been interested in Newberys. I began reading my copy just before heading to Alaska and was more than halfway through. I then left the book in my mother's car at the airport, how foolish! I lamented that it would be some time before I would be able to finish. Then I traveled from my village to Barrow in order to attend an in-service, during some free time I found myself in the lounge where they had piles of free books, there, waiting for me, I found another copy. It seemed too good to be true! My third sighting came at precisely the right time. This is far from my favorite Newbery, but the story of my reading it is one of my favorites!
