When Chancay captures a beautiful multicolored fish in his net one day, his generosity in throwing it back is amply rewarded, as it transpires that the creature he has spared is really Tambo, "a Spirit of Father Earth." After testing Chancay's strength and bravery, Tambo dispatches him to the Kingdom of the Sun and Moon, there to steal fire for humanity...

Although styled "A Peruvian Folktale" on the cover, this story is actually an original creation of Donald Charles', apparently inspired by an ancient Peruvian tapestry. I appreciated the fact that the author aknowledges this, in his brief foreword, but had to wonder why the book was given its sub-title, in light of the story's origin. I also didn't really understand this idea of an "original folktale" - isn't that what a fairy-tale is? In the end, I found Chancay and the Secret of Fire an unsatisfactory book. I kept wondering: is any of it based on real Peruvian folklore? And if so, which parts? Do traditional Peruvian tales refer to a Father Earth, rather than a Mother, or is that Charles' notion? I'd love to know... ( )