Papagayo: The Mischief Maker Paperback – Picture Book, September 15, 1992

I have the complete series of Gerald McDermot books for my grandchildren's nightly reading. The kids go back to these books over and over. I think it is because the illustrations are so colorful and interesting and the narrative is carefully crafted to be easy and interesting to listen to. I think the kids really like hearing stories about these "tricksters" who get in and out of trouble and are clever about dealing with their problems. I think the adults like the stories too. These books are a win/win for Grandpa and the Grand kids. Papagayo and Coyote are favorites but if we have time we might read them all in one night.

This book is one of my 3 year-old favorites. The story is fun, and when we went out to Yellowstone, our little girl was wondering if the Raven's as noisy as they were were like Papagayo. The drawings are very good and it is a good message story for a young child to read.

My son loves these books. He’s 2 and loves the stories and the imagery that accompanies them. They are thought provoking and my son loves to retell the story. Cultural diversity in stories is important to us but the folklore also bring some interesting concepts to the forefront for his consideration.

My great grandson loves this series of books. They keep his interest and make him laugh. He listened to me read them to him when he was very young, and even though he can't read yet, he tells me the story page by page. I would recommend this author to all youngsters; especially boys, as the content is laughingly mischievous.

Absolutely awesome book-great pictures and many vibrant colors to capture a child's attention and imagination. I bought another four of this author's books after discovering one of them at the Smithsonian in Washington DC last summer.I would highly recommend this book to parents, grandparents and others who need/want a terrific present for any young child in their life.

Another beautifully illustrated & retold folk tale by G McDermott! We already own & love some of his other works, like Coyote & Raven, and plan to snatch up the whole collection! My preschoolers ask for his stories again & again!

From reading other reviews, I understand this is a classic, but I was not familiar with it.The good:The 2-3yo and I love the colorful pictures. We look for shapes and identify colors in the pieces of animals. This will be a great tool for his own art when he is old enough to use scissors and construction paper.We do voices for Papagayo and the quiet, sleepy sloth, and little one likes to squawk or yawn with the animals. The book helped him not be afraid of cricket and treefrog noises at night, and we have started to pay attention to and talk about the phases of the moon.The not-as-good:This story is a little long for young ones. Some pages have multiple paragraphs.This has more plot than the baby bored (I mean, board) books, but less plot than other children’s stories.I was looking for an Anansi-style moral to the story, but there isn’t one. We emphasize that Papagayo helped his friends be brave.The moon-eater scared him at first (because the reader thought it would be a good idea to do a scary voice and growl), but we made him a silly dog who eats the sugar cookie moon.

Another good one in the McDermott trickster series. Good story, great artwork.