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Costa Rican tree frog
Source: Needpix

Costa Rican Myths Storybook Link

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  1. Hi Courtney!

    I love this idea for a storybook. One of my original storybook ideas was actually very similar to yours, except my idea was Hawaiian mythology. My family was supposed to vacation in Hawaii before the pandemic occurred, which gave me the idea for the Hawaiian storybook so I could still have that Hawaii feeling. It made me wonder, what was your inspiration for your storybook? Did you have (or supposed to have) an experience in Costa Rica that was fun, or do you just enjoy Costa Rica?

    I also like how you included Costa Rican history and culture in your introduction, like how natives are called "Ticos". Your introduction also mentions that are eight indigenous tribes within the country; however, you didn't name them. Will some of your stories talk about any of those tribes? If not, do you mind sharing the names of those tribes? It has me very interested! I'm looking forward to your work on this book!

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  2. Hi Courtney,

    I think this is a very cool storybook idea! I love Costa Rica because it is such a beautiful place with so many fun things to do. Costa Rica has an amazing culture there and I love that place so much. I really enjoyed the picture you used for your home page. I like the picture because it really makes you feel like you are in Costa Rica!

    The introduction is done very well and does a great job of explaining what you plan on talking about in the storybook. I like how you gave a little background information on Costa Rica and the culture as well as some history of Costa Rica. Another thing I liked about the intro is that you were able to distinguish stories from one another by adding spaces between them. One thing I would like to see is a little more information on La Llorna because I had not heard of it. I like that you mention it, but would maybe need one or two more sentences explaining it.

    Overall, this is a fantastic introduction and I look forward to reading some of your stories!

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  3. Hi Courtney!
    Your storybook looks interesting so far!
    I love that you've specialized into a very particular part of the world, it seems like you're going to have a very well tied together storybook!
    I'm curious about what drew you to pick Costa Rica in particular, was there something specific that drew you to pick it?
    I do have to say, Costa Rica was definitely an excellent choice when it comes to the visuals of your blog! Your blog looks really good with all the pretty shots of Costa Rica's natural beauty throughout!
    If you really want to lean into that, you might try bringing in some green accents to the storybook's design to go with all the lush greenery in the photos.
    But either way, your storybook seems to have a very excellent start!

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  4. Hi Courtney!
    The visuals of your Storybook are well chosen!
    I like your introduction because it comes off as very informative and well researched. It gives me just enough information to let me know what to expect but also keeps it just mysterious enough to keep me interested. Plus, I like how you include information about the three stories that you are going to be focusing on. I also like how you include that Costa Ricans are termed Ticos because it gives your audience a better relationship to the subject of your stories.
    My only critique is that you could add more photos to your home page and introduction to spice it up a little bit since this is a very white Storybook. You could add images of La Llorona or the other creatures in the stories that you are introducing.
    Overall, it looks and sounds really good. Excellent job!

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  5. Hi Courtney!

    Your introduction kept me interested in Costa Rica and the stories of its culture. I appreciated that you included some important information about Costa Rica and a map of where Costa Rica is helpful. I thought it was very cool that the people place value on free higher education for their citizens and make contributions for protecting the environment. I also liked that you introduced the stories you will be telling; it prepares the readers for the kinds of stories there are in your Storybook as well as in Costa Rica culture. I think your page looks great and has enough details; I would maybe add another picture or two to add more to the page. Since you already have the picture of the volcano in your header, there could be a picture added of La Llorana and another picture could be of the creature from the second story. They could be added at the bottom of the page to kind of break it up. But these are just suggestions because your introduction is already engaging and I can’t wait to learn more about Costa Rican myths.

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  6. Hi Courtney :)
    I really love your Storybook, both what you have so far for your Introduction and what you're planning with you three stories! I adored the brief glimpse into Costa Rican culture. I still don't know a lot about Costa Rica, the country's history, or its people, but I know so much more now because of you! Every sentence conveyed new information to me in a compelling way.
    The only opinion I have to give for improvement is a super nitpicky thing because everything else in your Intro is fantastic! Your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are superb. Great job on those! In my opinion the only thing you could potentially do is take a look at brevity.
    There are a few instances where you could shorten a sentence for a smoother reading experience.
    For example: "There are eight remaining indigenous tribes in Costa Rico, and they are spread throughout the region." You could edit it to: "...indigenous tribes in Costa Rico spread throughout the region." It's a little shorter, but it can tighten your awesome writing even more!
    You write really well, and I really had to think about if there was any critique or opinion I could even give you. Like I said, focusing on brevity is a super nitpicky thing, and I think you did a very great job with your Introduction. I really look forward to reading your stories!

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  7. Hi Courtney! I decided to read your story for my third project review because of the title including 'Costa Rica'. I have been there for a mission trip and seen a bit of the country, however I have not heard of any Costa Rican folklore or mythology. So naturally this intrigued me! First off, your website is set up very nicely. I love how you included a map in the introduction to give people a better background image. I also enjoyed reading some educational information about Costa Rica. I did not know there were eight indigenous tribes still there. You did a great job introducing the woman and the creature you will be writing about later. I am vaguely familiar with the 'Weeping Woman' story, but I am excited to see how you add a unique scary twist to it. Great job, I am looking forward to reading your stories in the future.

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  8. Hey Courtney, I honestly don't know a lot about Costa Rican culture or stories, so your intro was really informative! You did a great job laying out the important points about the culture and livelihood there, and the blurbs at the bottom about the stories that will follow were also really helpful, giving us enough background to understand the context, but concise enough to not give too much away! I'm familiar with La Llorona, but I have not heard of the other two, so I'm interested in what those stories are all going to entail. I also thought the way you set up the blog is very fitting! I light the bright and almost "sand and sea" colors, and I like that you included a map rather than just leaving it with the cover photo! I look forward to reading about the Costa Rican myths in your stories later on, great job so far!

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  9. Hi Courtney!
    I really like the look of your page. I liked the green accent of the page and I think it fits well with the picture and the greens in the picture. I also really liked the picture and I think it catches peoples eyes when going onto your page. I also really liked that there were different shades of green so it all stayed within the same themes. In your introduction I really liked how you related costa rica back to everyone by saying that it is a desirable vacation spot and that everyone would enjoy going. I think this makes the audience intrigued in what your stories are about. I also think it is awesome that you are telling stories bout Costa Rica because you down find many people doing this so I think the stories will be unique and very interesting for us to read.

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  10. Hi Courtney,
    I think your introduction is great. It reminded me of a travel website. It's almost like an ad for Costa Rica, I really want to visit there now. I've heard it's beautiful. It made me wonder if you had any personal connection to Costa Rica. I want to know your inspiration for this storybook. Maybe you visited there? Or you are just interested in the culture?
    I would also like to see more detail about the first story you mentioned! You write that most people might have heard about the story before, but it's unfamiliar to me. I don't know if it's all that common of a story. I'm sure you'll fully cover it in your first story, but for now it made me wish that you explained it a bit more.
    Finally, I think it would be nice if you added in some links to pages that taught us more about Costa Rica and/or the culture. That way if the reader wanted more in-depth information, we would have a way to get there. Is there something you find super interesting, but didn't have time to write about? Maybe you could drop a link to lead us there! Anyway, great work, I'm looking forward to reading more!

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  11. Hi Courtney,
    I too loved your introduction! I thought it laid out your story really well and reminded me of a travel brochure. I think your story could be super interesting with how beautiful Costa Rica is. This also could be really good because you can add a lot of really vivid details. I think for readers to get a better understanding of your stories to maybe give a little background on Costa Rica. But overall I really like your page and think you can make this very cool!

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  12. HI there Courtney!
    I am excited to see your storybook expand. To me you did very well in setting up your book through your introduction. You gave enough background information to interest and educate those who may be unfamiliar with the culture and ways of Costa Rica, such as myself. You laid out your stories, prepping the reader in what you will be covering in your retelling of Costa Rican myths. I am excite to see what you will do with the volcano. Most people have based their stories off of people, but I find it interesting and super cool that for one of your stories you will be focusing on the geography of a country. I hope that you are having fun writing this storybook as I know that I will very much be excited to read more about the Costa rica myths. Good luck Courtney and keep writing, catch ya on the next installment!

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  13. Hey Courtney, I really enjoyed reading your story, “La Llorona”! Growing up, I had always heard about the legend of La Llorona, so I was very excited to read your story when I read the title. I used to be terrified of her when I was little, so hopefully none of the stories are true. I like hoe you structured your story, it made the story very easy to read and follow along. I also liked the plot of your story. It reminded me of a scary movie, since they thought the legend wasn’t real and that nothing bad could happen to them! I didn’t know that this story came from Costa Rica, so maybe some background information on it would help the story. I also really like the colors and pictures you have used in your storybook. I think it makes the website look very good. Great Job Courtney!

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  14. Hi, Courtney. Great Job so far on your storybook.

    Your introduction is wonderful. You do an excellent job of introducing Costa Rica to your audience and you do it in a way that made me interested to read more. You succinctly set up each of your stories and I know exactly what I'm getting in to.

    I think you did an excellent job in telling the story of La Llorona. Framing the story initially as a "campfire story" between three children and then having it come true for them was an excellent choice. The second I read Rosa's line about how it isn't even possible, I knew what was about to go down and the goosebumps arose. The army of children was a very creepy image. One thing I may suggest adding, is a short paragraph at the beginning that describes the night a bit. Why is it extra dangerous on "a night like this"? Additionally, that would let your audience settle in to your story a bit before the ball gets rolling. That's a big part of horror. The false comfort at the beginning.

    I think your author's note was great. You explained exactly where the story comes from and how you altered it. I understood your motivation for everything. Great job!

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  15. Hey Courtney, I am revisiting this story to see the changes you have made and see how everything is coming together! Your author’s note really helped me see where you were coming from when you were writing this story. I also liked how you decided to make it where La Llorona collected the children and kept them underwater instead of killing all of them. I liked your idea to make a creepy kid army too! I completely agree when you said that an army of children spirits would be creepy! I like your description of La Llorona as well. I think it is short and sweet. I think if there is too much description or detail given about a scary character, it takes some of the creepiness away. So, I’m glad that your story just describes her as a lady in white. It gives the reader some freedom to picture what she might look like! Great Job

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  16. Hi Courtney,

    I really like a lot of things about your storybook! Your layout and pictures are really great, and it's nice that you use pull-down tabs for your author's notes (I think they make everything look super organized). In terms of how you organized your paragraphs, I think you killed it in that area, too. All your dialogue is set up so that the reader doesn't get confused about who's speaking, and your descriptive paragraphs are split up really well. The only suggestion I would have would be to start a new paragraph in your introduction when you start talking about Ticos since they're a new topic (super minor, though). I really enjoyed reading your stories! The dialogue is great, and your descriptions of the characters' emotions and environment help the reader imagine everything so much easier! Great job! I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break :)

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  17. Hey Courtney, I really enjoyed reading your story “El Cadejos”. I think my favorite part of the story was the part when the woman started getting harassed by the men in the alley, only for El Cadejo to appear behind the men and put an end to that. I really liked how you were able to present El Cadejo in the story, then slowly giving an explanation of what the creature was. I wonder if El Cadejo ended up stalking and killing those men that were surrounding the girl in the alleyway? Also, I thought that it was a really funny touch that you said that after his experience with El Cadejo, Luis didn’t leave his house for weeks because he was so scared, but then he decided to go to the bar and grab a drink! I thought that your story was very well written and that you did a great job!

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  18. Hi Courtney,

    First off, something that I've noticed first about your portfolio and website was the simplistic design as well as the sole picture that you have in the homepage. I think that it sets up for the portfolio very well as well as creating an easy to navigate format. Upon reading your introduction, I very much enjoyed the background knowledge of the tribes as well as the history that was presented to the audience to see before the rest of the story. In terms of your stories, especially La Llorona, something that I noticed is how you presented many dialogue. However, I thought that it was included in a way that was easy to see who was talking so it can be easy to follow along with the conversations as well. Overall, very spooky story! There are little things that scare when I read about it, but this was definitely thrilling from start to finish. Good work and I look forward to reading more from you!

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  19. Hi Courtney! First, I'd like to say I'm an absolute SUCKER for horror and mystery scenes, so when I found out that this was a project about Costa Rican horrors and the legends surrounding certain mythical beings, I just had to read it! I loved the way you wrote your introduction by making it very lighthearted and informative, but not delving too deep into the horrific tales you tell in the next section. The art you used for the background was perfect as well, this project seemed like a tropical paradise until you give it a closer look! As I continued on to read La Llorona's story, I was shocked at the twist your writing took from lighthearted to deadly. I loved it!! You kept me on the edge of my seat during this story, hoping that the children would somehow make it out of this mess in one piece. You didn't disappoint with the ending either, I am not one to include "happily ever after's" in my writing so it was nice to see that you didn't do that here. Overall, I loved this project and I can't wait to read the finished material!

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