THE PEAR TREE

Esperanza, an old Spanish woman, loses her pear crop to a hailstorm.

Despite her misfortune, she gives away her last pear to a hungry woman who rewards her by magically filling her tree with more pears. Esperanza learns that she can trap whomever climbs the tree to steal fruit. When Señor Death comes for her, she tricks him into her tree—and now no one can die while Death remains stuck. The old woman refuses to free him until she learns of the suffering of her good friend. In order to bring her friend peace, she agrees to accompany Death, who then grants her eternal life as a reward for her compassion. Gray’s retelling of an old folktale takes on a new slant; instead of placing Aunt Misery at center stage and filling the Earth with suffering as in the original tale, the protagonist is Esperanza, which is Spanish for “Hope.” However, Esperanza is, for the most part, an unsympathetic character: She is sly and stubborn—contrary to the accepted characteristics of hope. Goodnight’s anachronistic illustrations range from a soldier’s medieval garb to Death’s modern, full-trousered suit, and Esperanza’s expressions are disappointedly static. Gray’s posthumously published tale will be welcomed primarily by her fans. The story’s origins and backmatter are included.

An unsatisfying retelling.