Mary-Joan Gerson author page

Mary-Joan Gerson biography

Mary-Joan Gerson writes and adapts children’s folklore and picture books. Her books include Why the Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale, illustrated by Carla Golembe; How Night Came from the Sea: A Story from Brazil, illustrated by Carla Golembe; and Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktale, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez.

Why the Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale retells a story in which the sky was once close enough for people to eat from it, until waste and greed caused the sky to move far away. The book was published in 1974.

How Night Came from the Sea: A Story from Brazil was published on 1 September 1994 by Little, Brown. Gerson adapted a Bahian legend by replacing a male sea serpent with Iemanjá, a sea goddess in Candomblé.

Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktale was published on 1 August 2001 by Barefoot Books. The collection includes “Rosha and the Sun”, from the Maya; “The Hungry Goddess”, an Aztec tale; “The Legend of Tangu Yu”, from the Zapotec; “Why the Moon Is Free”, a Yaqui tale; “The Green Bird”; “Blancaflor”; “The Virgin of Guadalupe”; and “Malintzen of the Mountain”.

People of Corn, illustrated by Carla Golembe, is a Mayan creation myth and was published on 1 October 1995.