Watch Out for Clever Women! - Tapa blanda

"The introduction to these, bilingual, Spanish/English folktales states that there is an old saying that a woman thinks more in one minute than most men think in an entire month. This pretty much sums up the philosophy expressed in this humorous collection of trickster tales. The tricksters turn out to be clever wives, mothers, daughters and sweethearts, who manage to outwit the villains to save their rather naive or even dumb males. Most of the stories are from the Hispanic tradition of the Southwest, although one tale deals with a Navajo shepherd and his wise mother. One tale, "The Day it Snowed Tortillas" has already been published in an all-English volume with the same title, by Joe Hayes. The illustrations are realistic black and white drawings." --Children's Literature

"A bilingual collection of Southwestern folktales with some tricky women teaching people simple lessons. Humor shines through the fabric of these fables, with bad guys finding that the joke is, invariably, on them." --Bookpaper

"Our favorite storyteller, Joe Hayes, goes in for a bit of affirmative action in this collection of his Hispanic folktales. Every one of them features a woman heroine, every one of them is presented in Spanish and English, and every one of them is great fun in the best Joe Hayes style." --New Mexico Magazine

"Here in the Southwest, Joe Hayes is a folk here himself--everybody's favorite teller of tales from our own favorite part of the world.
These lively New Mexico cuentos are written in Joe's voice. You are drawn into a circle around him as you read. I loved the amazingly clever (as well as amazingly tricky) women who manage to save the day in each story." --Byrd Baylor

"These stories are clear, lovely earthy--as still and as comforting as a smooth stone in the palm of an outstretched hand. As I read through these tales, I was reminded of the fact that a good story teller can always teach us something new about ourselves. If there is joy in simple things, then this book is filled with much joy." --Benjamin Alire Sáenz

"Children will delight in the tricks these clever women concoct." --Houston Post

A retelling, in parallel English and Spanish text, of traditional tales from New Mexico about resourceful women