Book Descriptions
for Child of the Flower-Song People by Gloria Amescua and Duncan Tonatiuh
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Luz Jiménez was born in Milpa Alta, Mexico, at the end of the 19th century. She grew up speaking Nahuatl as her first language and hearing the stories of her Aztec people from her elders. She also learned her people’s traditions: how to grind corn, use her toes to twist yarn, weave, and gather edible mushrooms and medicinal herbs. She was a curious girl who wanted to learn to read and one day be a teacher, but the government school she was forced to attend wouldn’t let her use her own language or traditions. After her father was killed when Milpa Alta was taken over during the Mexican Revolution, she and her family moved to Mexico City, where Luz soon befriended artists such as Diego Rivera, Fernando Leal, Tina Modotti, and Jean Charlot. She soon became their favorite model, most often posing while engaged in traditional activities, which helped to document her culture. She taught her language to scholars, and took anthropologists and artists on tours of Milpa Alta. When she was invited to teach Nahuatl at a college in Mexico City, Luz finally realized her dream of becoming a teacher. This fascinating story of the life of one woman who is credited with preserving much of what is known today about Nahua language and culture is brilliantly illustrated with Tonatiuh’s Mixtec-inspired stylized illustrations. A timeline, glossary, citations, and a bibliography follow informative notes from both the author and illustrator that outline how they researched the subject. (Ages 7-11)
CCBC Choices 2022. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Award-winning illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life debut author Gloria Amescua's lyrical picture book biography of an Indigenous Nahua woman from Mexico who taught and preserved her people's culture through modeling for famous artists.
A 2022 Pura Belpré Award Author Honor Book
She was Luz Jiménez,
child of the flower-song people,
the powerful Aztec,
who called themselves Nahua--
who lost their land but who did not disappear.
As a young Nahua girl in Mexico during the early 1900s, Luz learned how to grind corn in a metate, to twist yarn with her toes, and to weave on a loom. By the fire at night, she listened to stories of her community's joys, suffering, and survival, and wove them into her heart.
A 2022 Pura Belpré Award Author Honor Book
She was Luz Jiménez,
child of the flower-song people,
the powerful Aztec,
who called themselves Nahua--
who lost their land but who did not disappear.
As a young Nahua girl in Mexico during the early 1900s, Luz learned how to grind corn in a metate, to twist yarn with her toes, and to weave on a loom. By the fire at night, she listened to stories of her community's joys, suffering, and survival, and wove them into her heart.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.