La Llorona / The Weeping Woman

"The illustrations by mother-daughter team Hill and Pennypacker add depth to the story... Deeper colors are used to depict the couple and infant children in happier times. Shaded pictures and silhouettes add to the feelings of deception, desertion, and despair that came later. Best if read aloud. Recommended to all libraries and bookstores."

"[T]his story packs a punch in both English and the author's fluid Spanish translation... A solid retelling of a classic tale."

"The traditional Latino story of a cast-off wife who drowns her children, dies of grief, and spends each night thereafter stalking the riverbank as a wailing ghost finds corporeality in this bilingual picture book. Hayes' sentences are compact but evocative; he limits the ghostly effects, making this telling more suitable for timid youngsters than creepier versions, but there's still plenty of pathos in the drama."

"This popular Hispanic legend is told here in both Spanish and English and warns children about the dangers of venturing out past their bedtimes... This book would be useful in multicultural and/or language arts lessons."