Published simultaneously in English and Spanish, and co-authored by María Cristina Brusca (who also contributed the artwork) and Tona Wilson, The Blacksmith and the Devils is a traditional folktale from Argentina, concerning an impoverished blacksmith who outwits the devil, leading a long, adventurous life at his expense. When Juan Pobreza (whose surname means "poverty" in Spanish) replaces the shoe of a mule belonging to a gaucho who is none other than San Pedro, the gatekeeper of heaven, and is granted three wishes as reward, he doesn't believe, and wishes (so it seems) unwisely. But when he is visited by the Devil, and given wealth, and twenty years of youth, in return for signing away his soul, those wishes come in handy...

This amusing story of a trickster who manages to wrest sixty years of youth out of the Devil, eventually finding himself, when he comes to die, unwelcome in both heaven and hell, is one of the first Argentine folktales I have read, but I certainly hope it will not be the last. An amusing story, and engaging, colorful illustrations, kept me involved until the end, and I will definitely be looking for more, from both Brusca and Wilson! ( )

This was a fun folktale about a blacksmith. He tricks multiple devils into letting him out of his debts for many years. While there is a clear lesson for adults, I think children may have a hard time grasping it. ( )