Moon Over the Mountain was originally a traditional Asian tale, but it's retold here in English and Spanish, and takes place in the deserts of the Southwestern U.S.

Agipito works on the mountain day after day cutting stones to build houses and churches.  The work is very hard, and the old man wishes that he was a rich merchant instead of a stonecutter. During the night, the Spirit of the Desert grants his wish, and when Agipito awakes, he is a rich merchant.  When the scorching heat of the sun ruins his fruit and other merchandise, Agipito wishes that he had the strength of the sun.  The next morning he was the sun.

Poor Agipito, he is never satisfied, but always wishing he is something else.  In this cautionary tale to be careful what you wish for, Agipito is a wonderful character who only wants to make his life better. Michael Kress-Russick's illustrations with their beautiful desert colors lend highly detailed and imaginative visual impact to Agipito's story.

The story is told primarily in English with Spanish terms embedded in the text.  The Spanish words are easily interpreted with the support of a page of vocabulary words in both English and Spanish in the back of the book.

An exciting bedtime or family time story that the kids will love. This book would be a great addition to your children's library, and should be in every pre-school and elementary program or as an addition to your home school curriculum as a painless introduction to another language.  Raven Tree Press is a leading publisher of bilingual materials for young children, and they are such fun to read.