No tricks! The Dragon Slayer "Slays" multiple awards!

The Dragon Slayer​ by Jaime Hernandez includes three folktales: “The Dragon Slayer,” Martina Martinez and Perez the Mouse,” and “Tup and the Ants.” These stories have been passed down for hundreds of years, moving from Medieval Spain to modern Latin America, and picking up Catholic, Jewish, Arab, and Moorish influences along the way. The incredible accomplishment of this book is that it preserves the rich diversity of its historic and contemporary influences. This is accomplished through the wonderful storytelling and Hernandez’ comic-style illustrations. The illustrations and storytelling conjure up an agrarian Latin American recent-past while incorporating traditionally medieval European tropes like Kings, ogres, and dragons. At the same time, we see strong female characters and contemporary language and humor. By taking inspiration from these varied sources, these vibrant tales reflect much of the history that makes folktales magical without being afraid to let the form and stories change for modern audiences. It’s a tricky line to walk, but The Dragon Slayer does it perfectly. The three stories also present a lovely, if limited, variety of stories of adventure, romance, and tricksters. We can only hope we see more of these in the future.