Ranch hands gathered around a campfire and old folks rocking on the porch were some of the sources for the 10 folkloric tales presented in this volume. Written in both Spanish and English, this book of traditional tales from the Mexican American people of South Texas is the first of a series of three volumes. Five of the stories deal with the supernatural. One tells of a young man who picks up a beautiful girl by the side of the road, takes her to a dance, and discovers the next morning he spent the evening dancing with a ghost. Another tale discusses Dolores, a girl so beautiful and vain that she has little regard for the feelings of others. It tells how a handsome stranger at a ball asks Dolores for the last dance of the evening, spins her faster and faster, and at the end of the dance is gone, leaving smoke and sulphur fumes surrounding the corpse of Dolores. Two tales deal with clever animals, one a coyote and the other a honeybee. Two more tell of the feats of Don Pedro Jaramillo, a faith healer who lived in South Texas around the turn of the century. A list of vocabulary and cognates is added to each story, along with two questionnaires. The first questionnaire is related directly to the text and is intended for the younger students. Designed for more advanced students, the second questionnaire is suggested by the text. (DS)