A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters
Award-winning author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh sheds light on the significance of Aztec manuscripts and culture A 2023 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Honor Book Our world, little brother, is an amoxtlalpan, a land of books.
In the jungles where the jaguar dwells, the Mayas make books.
In the mountains the cloud people, the Mixtecs, make them as well. So do others in the coast and in the forests.
And we the Mexica of the mighty Aztec empire, who dwell in the valley of the volcanoes, make them too. A young Aztec girl tells her little brother how their parents create beautiful painted manuscripts, or codices. She explains to him how paper is made from local plants and how the long paper is folded into a book. Her parents and others paint the codices to tell the story of their people's way of life, documenting their history, science, tributes, and sacred rituals. Duncan Tonatiuh's lyrical prose and beloved illustration style, inspired by the pre-Columbian codices, tell the story of how--contrary to the historical narrative that European colonizers bestowed "civilization" and knowledge to the Americas--the Aztec and their neighbors in the Valley of Mexico painted books and records long before Columbus arrived, and continued doing so among their Nahua-speaking descendants for generations after the Spanish Conquest. From an award-winning author-illustrator, A Land of Books pays tribute to Mesoamerican ingenuity and celebrates the universal power of books.
Author: Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Published: 11/15/2022
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.21lbs
Size: 10.07h x 10.32w x 0.44d
ISBN: 9781419749421
Audience: Ages 4-8
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 518765 / Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters
Award: Pura Belpre Award - Honor Book
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2022
Publishers Weekly 10/17/2022
Booklist 10/15/2022 pg. 44
School Library Journal 11/01/2022 pg. 53
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2022 - Book Of Special Distinction
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2023 pg. 112
About the Author
Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author-illustrator. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His artwork is inspired by pre-Columbian art. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past, but are relevant to today's people, especially children. He currently lives in San Miguel with his family but travels in the United States often.
In the jungles where the jaguar dwells, the Mayas make books.
In the mountains the cloud people, the Mixtecs, make them as well. So do others in the coast and in the forests.
And we the Mexica of the mighty Aztec empire, who dwell in the valley of the volcanoes, make them too. A young Aztec girl tells her little brother how their parents create beautiful painted manuscripts, or codices. She explains to him how paper is made from local plants and how the long paper is folded into a book. Her parents and others paint the codices to tell the story of their people's way of life, documenting their history, science, tributes, and sacred rituals. Duncan Tonatiuh's lyrical prose and beloved illustration style, inspired by the pre-Columbian codices, tell the story of how--contrary to the historical narrative that European colonizers bestowed "civilization" and knowledge to the Americas--the Aztec and their neighbors in the Valley of Mexico painted books and records long before Columbus arrived, and continued doing so among their Nahua-speaking descendants for generations after the Spanish Conquest. From an award-winning author-illustrator, A Land of Books pays tribute to Mesoamerican ingenuity and celebrates the universal power of books.
Author: Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Published: 11/15/2022
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.21lbs
Size: 10.07h x 10.32w x 0.44d
ISBN: 9781419749421
Audience: Ages 4-8
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 518765 / Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters
Award: Pura Belpre Award - Honor Book
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2022
Publishers Weekly 10/17/2022
Booklist 10/15/2022 pg. 44
School Library Journal 11/01/2022 pg. 53
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2022 - Book Of Special Distinction
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2023 pg. 112
About the Author
Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author-illustrator. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His artwork is inspired by pre-Columbian art. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past, but are relevant to today's people, especially children. He currently lives in San Miguel with his family but travels in the United States often.
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