DOÑA FLOR

Doña Flor, beautiful giantess of the American Southwest, is so tall she plucks estrellas from the sky and grabs snow from mountaintops to wake herself up in the morning. Her corn tortillas are so big that her neighbors use the extra ones as roofs. This gentle giant is una amiga and protector to all, so when a roaming, roaring mountain lion begins to scare the villagers, she vows to find the guilty gato. Since she speaks all languages (even rattler), she recruits her animal friends and successfully locates the kittenish culprit on a mesa—a tiny prankster puma using a long, hollow log to generate a big “Rrrr-oarrr!” that echoes down the valley. Doña Flor, serene as la luna, turns the roars to purrs and all ends well with Pumito sleeping atop her big toes. Colón’s gorgeous illustrations (with his round, swirling scratchboard style in warm, buttery colors) steal the show here, as the pleasantly rhythmic but overly meandering tall tale isn’t arresting enough plot-wise to avoid bogging down in its heaps of hyperbole. (Picture book. 6-8)