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The Secret Legacy |
Author/Artist:
Authors Rigoberta Menchu and Dante Liano / Illustrators Domi and David Unger
Description:
From Amazon.com
Rigoberta Menchu returns to the world of childhood in this, her third book. The novel’s seven-year-old heroine, Ixkem, is chosen to tend to the prized cornfields once her grandfather has passed away. But Ixkem isn’t sure she can accept this great responsibility. Out in the fields, she discovers a legion of tiny people, no bigger than bananas. They are b’e’n, nahuales — secret animal spirits — and when they take Ixkem into the underworld where they live, she regales them with tales of the surface. What they offer in return helps Ixkem to accept both her grandfather’s wishes for her and the fact that she must soon wish him goodbye. This moving story is rich with emotion and Mayan folklore, perfect to captivate any young reader.
Review:
Grade 4–8—On her first day watching over her Mayan grandfather's cornfields, young Ixkem is invited by the b'e'n, spirits in the form of small humans, to visit them underground. They feed her generously and she tells them stories that explain Mayan customs and include bits of folklore. Before her return, the nahuales give her a great secret, which she passes on to her 100-year-old grandfather, allowing him to die peacefully. This story frames a somewhat disjointed collection of tales that show how humans are the smartest creatures; how Mayans fall in love, get married, and have children; how they can be both bad and good; and how important it is for people to help each other. Menchú is a Mayan activist who shared a Nobel Peace Prize; Liano a prize-winning Guatemalan author for adults now living in Italy. The Mexican artist Domi has provided bright paintings in a naturalistic, folk-art style. The lyrical translation preserves the storyteller's voice. This companion to The Honey Jar (Groundwood, 2006), by the same team, will be equally useful in multicultural collections. (Ages 9 to 12)
From School Library Journal —Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo |
Author/Artist:
J.D. Smith and Dani Jones
Description:
From Amazon.com
The Best Mariachi in the World / El mejor mariachi del mundo is a bilingual (English/Spanish) embedded text picture book. Everyone in Gustavo s family is in a mariachi band. Everyone except Gustavo, that is. They all play violins, trompetas and guitarrones. They all make wonderful music in restaurants and at wedding parties. Gustavo would love to join the band, but he can't play any of the instruments. What's a wannabe mariachi to do? Illustrator Dani Jones uses bright, warm colors to show the hot desert landscape. She also incorporates the styles of art and patterns from the Southwestern area (the setting of The Best Mariachi in the World / El mejor mariachi del mundo) to help illustrate the story. Her bold, graphic style combined with comic interpretation portrays Gustavo's full range of emotions as he pursues his mariachi dream.
About the Author
J.D. has been writing since childhood is now publishing books and shorter pieces.
In 2007 he was awarded a Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts, and his individual poems have received three Pushcart nominations. His essays and commentary have appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times. He has also published literary and crime fiction and currently lives with his wife and rescue dog in Washington, DC.
About the Illustrator
Dani Jones started working professionally as an illustrator in 2005. Since then, her work has been featured in two picture books, children's magazines, and educational material. Dani was born in Seoul, South Korea (one of triplets)and was adopted, along with her two identical sisters by an American couple when they were babies. Dani grew up all over the U.S., and currently resides in New Hampshire.
Review:
Easy translations and darling illustrations tell a timeless story of a child's struggle to fit in and his triumph of learning to accept who he is. Parents and children will love this book! (Ages 4 to 8)
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Kitchen Dance |
Author/Artist:
Maurie J. Manning
Description:
From Amazon.com
A little girl wakes in the night to mysterious, inviting noises. She rouses her brother, and they sneak downstairs and peek into the kitchen. To their amazement and delight, their parents are dancing and singing---"Como te quiero! Oh, how I love you!" ---as they clean up and put food away. Mama and Papa discover the two kids and sweep them into the embrace of a family dance. Slowly, the song changes to a lullaby. . . the children close sleepy eyes. . . then Mama and Papa tuck them into bed again. The story reads like poetry. The art moves from subdued tones to hot tropical colors and back again. And as you turn the pages, you can almost hear the music---changing from a pop ballad to a hot tango to a cozy lullaby. All in all, it's a perfect bedtime book, with a satisfying hugs-and-kisses ending.
About the Author
Maurie J. Manning is the author/illustrator of "The Aunts Go Marching", an IRA Notable Book (2003, Boyds Mills Press) and the illustrator of three other titles. For this book, her Clarion debut, she drew inspiration from the Latino American branch of her extended family. She and her children live in Berkeley, California.
Review:
A young girl lies in bed listening to the sounds emanating from the kitchen. "Scrape! Splash! Clunk! Clang!…Then something else—a deep voice humming a tune, and someone laughing." She wakes up her brother, Tito, "Oye! Do you hear?" Together they tiptoe down the stairs, peek into the kitchen, and gaze upon a playful and obviously happy couple. Their father is singing to their mother in Spanish and English, using a wooden spoon as a microphone, "Cómo te quiero! Oh how I love you." They dance around the kitchen drying dishes, opening and closing cabinets, oblivious to all except one another. Then Mama spots the two children. "Hola!" she says. She picks up the girl, Papa picks up the boy—now they all sing, "Oh, how I love you!" as they "twirl around and around in a circle of family." Faces nestled, the children grow sleepy and are carried back upstairs. "Sweet dreams." Full of vitality, simple, and touching, this picture book presents a celebration of family through words and expressive, exuberant pictures. Wonderful. (Preschool to grade 2)
From School Library Journal —Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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