The six tales in this colorfully illustrated, handsome collection are: "The Little Half-Chick," "Juan Bobo and the Three-Legged Pot," "Martina, the Little Cockroach," "The Billy Goat and the Vegetable Garden," "How Uncle Rabbit Tricked Uncle Tiger," and the title story. Compiler González provides a two-page foreword explaining how she became familiar with these tales herself as a child in Cuba and why they are " cuentos favoritos," or favorite tales of children across Latin America. According to González, the dominant themes of these tales are " ...universal to childhood experience. Their characters learn the power of sharing, they learn the value of wit and cleverness." A note about the story immediately follows each, along with a brief glossary and pronunciation guide. Artist Delacre also provides a two-page note in which she relates how she recalls the stories from her Puerto Rican childhood and discusses some of her design and illustration decisions. (Ages 4-11)