La Llorona , the Crying Woman, is a legendary creature who haunts rivers, lakes, and lonely roads. She comes out at night, searching for her children who drowned. Like other children who grow up in New Mexico, author Rudolfo Anaya heard stories of La Llorona when he was a boy. She was a kind of "boogeyman," looking for children who disaboyed their parents or stayed out late.
Now Anaya tells his own version of La Llorona. In Anaya's story, set in ancient Mexico, Maya encounters jealous Father Time, and thus begin the tale od how she lost her children. There is a message in her tragic story, one that children and grownups alike will learn from this retelling of an old tale by a great New Mexico writer.
Rudolfo Anaya, widelyacclaimed New Mexico storyteller, is a professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. He is best known as the author of the classic novel Bless Me, Ultima.
Amy Córdova lives in Taos, New Mexico, and is a longetime artist and educator. She has illustrated many children's books and has won several awards for illustration, including the ALA Pura Belpré Award.
Enrique R. Lamadrid is a literary folklorist and cultural historian in the University of New Mexico´s Departaments of Spanish and Portuguese.
