Why a Booktrail?
Timeless – How important is the rain to the people of the Argentine Pampas?
The Magic Bean Tree: A Legend from Argentina
What you need to know before your trail
In the middle of the wide Argentine pampas there once grew a tree. This tree was magic and unlike any other tree as in it lived a bird who was evil and could stop the rain from falling whenever he liked. The villages nearby were dry and parched but still the little bird would not budge.
So one day a little boy from the village nearby decided to try and save his people and the animals in the region from dying from thirst.
An Argentinian fable which shows how Argentineans believe that good luck can be found in the shade of a carob tree. The Pampas, are vast plains extending westward across central Argentina from the Atlantic coast to the Andean foothills.
Travel Guide
To really get beneath the skin of a people and a country, often the tales which have been passed down the generations and folk stories are the best ways to do it.
This story of a the magic found in a carob tree is apparently taken from an old Quechua story of a young boy who saves his people and the villages in the region by going out in search of rain.
The drawings evoke the heat and drought on every page and show the hardship of the people living in the region who are literally dying from thirst.
“When no rain came, only little Topec prayed each day. He prayed to Life Giver; he prayed to Pachamama; he prayed to Pampero and Mother of Storms”
It’s getting rid of this bird that will bring back the rain to the people but how to get rid of it?
The legend of creating rain and rescuing the land is a great story to show how cultural beliefs can be a direct result of the landscape and the weather of a place.
Booktrailer Review
Susan:
All the academic books in the world can’t show you a country like children’s books based on a legend can. I just love this book so much and it’s had pride of place in my bookcase for years despite me being a lot older than the intended audience!
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