Because Rattlesnake has taken over the road and will not let any of the people or animals in the village use it, Desert Woman enlists the aid of the other animals to create a strange new creature with the necessary tools to overcome Rattlesnake. - (Baker & Taylor)

To clear the tyrannical Rattlesnake from the main road of her southwestern village, Desert Woman enlists the help of Coyote, Raven, Eagle, and Heron to form an agile and fast-footed new animal that can outwit their nemesis. - (Baker & Taylor)

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Rattlesnake is terrorizing everyone who uses ""his"" road, so Desert Woman gets the community's animals to collaborate on creating a nemesis for the snake--a bird--comprising their individual attributes (Deer offers two thin branches as nimble legs, etc.). The story is anticlimactic (predictably, Roadrunner trounces Rattlesnake) and its Stone Soup-like message familiar, but the illustrations rendered in a brilliant Southwestern palette are perfect for the tale's milieu. Copyright 2001 Horn Book Guide Reviews

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 3-In this original folkloric tale, Desert Woman creates "a new animal," with input from the existing desert creatures, to stand up to Rattlesnake, the self-styled "king of the road." She gathers clay from the Sacred Mountain and forms the body, allowing each of the others to "bring a gift for our new friend." Deer gives him slender legs to run fast; Eagle gives him strength; Heron, a long beak; Coyote, sharp eyes; and, from Desert Woman herself, comes the gift of dance. This resulting bird is called Roadrunner, and with his assorted traits, he makes a comic and awkward sight, tottering and falling on his face. Desert Woman exhorts him to practice, and "with time, he was swirling and twirling like a twister," and ready to stand his own ground. In the ensuing contest between Roadrunner and Rattlesnake, the bird outmaneuvers his opponent, much to the delight and relief of the animals. Diaz's lush illustrations are highly stylized and done in a rich, showy palette. Rattlesnake is a bright amethyst with jewel-toned decorations while the figure of Desert Woman is appropriately magical. A glowing golden haze outlines all of the figures, and the text is printed on a sandy background. While this title does not claim the authentic provenance of Te Ata's Baby Rattlesnake (Children's Book Press, 1989), it would be a handsome and humorous accompaniment to that title in programs about the American Southwest.-Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.