Moving To The Music Of The People's Hearts

No matter where you go in the world in any given point in history, people are dancing.  Some have to do it secretly but they dance.  Some movements and steps are particular to a specific region.  Other styles are more popular with individual age groups.  Certain dance forms can cross cultural boundaries, recognized and practiced throughout the world.

If people wish to express sorrow or loss, observe a holiday or celebrate an event in their family or community, they dance.  Some people dance for the sheer joy of living in the moment.  DANZA! Amalia Hernandez and El Folklorico de Mexico (Abrams Books For Young Readers, August 22, 2017) written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh is a tribute to a singular woman dedicated to creative declarations through the art of dance.

Amalia (ah-MAH-lee-ah) Hernandez was born in Mexico City in 1917, and everyone assumed she would grow up to be a schoolteacher like her mother and grandmother.  Even Ami (AH-me), as everyone called her, expected that.

This changed when she and her family were on a vacation.  A group of dancers performing in a town's square caught her attention.  That is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.  Her mother was happy with Ami's choice but it took her military-minded father a little longer to help her with her dream.

A studio was built in their home and she had the best ballet instructors, performers themselves.  When she was twenty-two Ami watched some dancers from the United States who came to her city.  She was fascinated with their modern style of dance.  Now she was studying two forms of expression.

She was a dedicated student using her talents to their fullest.  Ami became a dance teacher and a choreographer.  When she was thirty-five audiences cheered for one of the dances she choreographed.  It was a reflection of her earliest memories of dancers.   This was the spark which ignited a fire in Ami which never died.

Again a student, she went out among the people in their villages throughout the regions, learning their dances and noting the traditional dress they wore.  With her imagination and knowledge of ballet, modern dance and her people Ami choreographed a remarkable style of dance, uniquely her own.  She and her company of seven other dancers became a sensation.

From eight they grew to fifty.  Their costumes and stage scenery were dazzling.  They danced in tribute to all people of Mexico, past and present.  By the time she was forty-four they were known internationally for their performances and awards.  At the age of eighty-three Amalia Hernandez passed away but her dance company, El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico dances on several times a week.  They have never stopped in more than fifty years.  Her gift is still giving.

As readers delve into the narrative penned by Duncan Tonatiuh they find themselves transported to the near past.  We get swept up in the dreams of a little girl watching them grow as Duncan includes pertinent milestones and accomplishments.  He also brings certain aspects of her parent's lives into his retelling by referring to the handling of the company as her father would do it and how she finishes her career by opening a dance school and teaching as her mother and grandmother did.  Here is a sample passage.

Audiences loved the folkloric ballets, and Amalia's dance company quickly became very famous.  In 1954, they performed on the Funcion de Gala television show.  They danced on the show every week for more than sixty weeks!


There is dignity radiating from the front of the dust jacket on this title.  Amalia Hernandez stands ready to perform, head held high as two other dancers holding instruments are captured mid-step.  The festive backdrop suggests the dance to be one of celebration.  Study their faces.  They are full of passion and determination.  To the left, on the back, is a list of other books by Duncan Tonatiuh with praise paragraphs from professional reviewers along with lists of awards.

The book case is a replication of an expansive, breathtaking interior image.  A line of dancers in a variety of costumes are dancing from right to left.  Their stage is a map of the world, rounded.  Along the arc at the top are notable monuments found in places around the world.  On the right in the sky is a crescent moon.  On the left in the sky is a brilliant sun.  The opening and closing endpapers are a pattern of a pair of shoes and a hat.

Each picture within the pages of this book hand-drawn, then collaged digitally not only shines the light on Amalia but on the beauty of the dances in Mexico.  They highlight the people and their clothing within the context of a special setting.  Some of the visuals span two pages, others on a single page.  The attention to detail is superb indicating a great deal of research on the part of Duncan Tonatiuh.  The facial expressions on the people and their body movements lead you to believe they could come fully alive and perform at any minute.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is for the performance of La Gran Tenochtitlan.  This is a dance based upon Mexico's pre-Columbian past.  On the top and bottom of the page Duncan has drawn an ancient pattern.  Beneath the top is a blue sky with wispy clouds.  Along the top of the stage surface, shown like wood flooring, are pyramids.  Two of the dancers are facing left and two are facing right.  Two are clothed in costumes representing birds and the others appear to be spotted like leopards.  All are caring instruments in both hands.  This must have been marvelous to watch.


Assuredly DANZA! Amalia Hernandez and El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh pays homage to a memorable woman and her culture but it also serves to inspire readers to use their gifts and to believe in the power of dreams.  This is one of those books which need to be in any classroom studying the people of Mexico or their language.  For not the first time and certainly not for the last time, I can't help but think Where were books like this when I was in school and college studying the Spanish language?  I highly recommend this title.

To learn more about Duncan Tonatiuh and his other work please visit his website and blog by following the links attached to his name.  Duncan was interviewed on the PBSNewshour on November 2, 2016.  The Google Doodle for September 19, 2017 celebrated Amalia Hernandez's 100th birthday.





Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the titles selected by other participants in the 2017 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Out Of Love

It is said long, long ago there was a great fire in the land now known as Wisconsin.  Hoping to flee the fire, Mishe-Mokwa urged her two cubs into the vast waters of Lake Michigan.  The three of them swam with all their strength, the parent urging the two younger bears to keep going.  The great bear swam for many days until she reached the sandy shores of Michigan.  For a very long time she waited, watched and swam out into the waters seeking her two children.  Not far from where the mother waited but too far for her to see, the two cubs, exhausted from swimming, had drowned.  In his compassion Manitou, the Great Spirit, caused the mother bear to sleep forever.  As a sign of her love for her cubs and his love for her, he raised the younger bears from the water creating two islands, South Manitou and North Manitou.  He spread sand to comfort and blanket the waiting mother bear forming the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

We have folklore from cultures throughout the planet to explain hauntingly beautiful natural wonders.  Acclaimed author illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh (Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras) presents his interpretation of a legend regarding the origin of Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl, two volcanoes found near Mexico City, Mexico.  The Princess And The Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes (Abrams Books For Young Readers, September 20, 2016) is a story of a great and enduring love.

Once upon a time, there lived a kind and beautiful princess named Izta.  

Her royal standing did not keep her from mingling with the people in her father's kingdom. She could be seen walking among them, teaching them poetry.  Although many young men appeared before her promising her all manner of riches if she would marry them, none pleased her.  It was a soldier named Popoca who claimed her heart promising

I will stay by your side no matter what, as long as tonatiuh rises, as long as the cenzontle bird sings."

Her father did not want her to marry a warrior but in his wisdom he recognized the skill of the man.  He proposed an arrangement.  If Popoca could defeat a fearsome enemy of their land, Jaguar Claw, with finality, then Izta and Popoca would be allowed to wed.  This was not an easy task.  The warrior and his men fought battle after battle sometimes wondering if they would win.  The thought of Izta instilled bravery in Popoca which his men could see.

Cunning to the core, Jaguar Claw sensed a defeat in his future and masterminded a horrible plan.  One of Popoca's loyal soldiers was not so steadfast that he could not be swayed.  This soldier went to the princess telling her the worst kind of lie.  He offered her something to soothe her soul.

Returning home victorious, Popoca was shocked by the words spoken by the emperor and even more distraught by what he saw. With hope in his heart the warrior took his princess from her home to a mountain top.  A promise was fulfilled.


For generations listeners and readers have been intrigued and moved by stories of deep and abiding love.  As soon as Duncan Tonatiuh writes once upon a time we can feel magic settle about us.  He immediately connects us to Izta with her affection for the common people and her ability to value the richness of a person's inner self over material wealth.  In the same way we find ourselves inwardly cheering for Popoca due to his warrior status.

Told in a blend of narrative and dialogue we are invited into the lives of these characters of legend. When Tonatiuh uses words from the Nahuatl language within this tale he builds a cultural and historical bridge.  His sentences are not elaborate but carry a storyteller's cadence.  Here is a passage.

"Cool air will surely revive her," Popoca told the emperor.  He carried Izta through the throngs of villagers, who wept as they passed, past the milpas, and all through the night to the top of a tepetl.


Drawn by hand and then digitally colored the artwork in this title evokes a timeless quality, a tribute to the Mixtec codices. In an author's note Duncan Tonatiuh says: Readers may notice how in my drawings as in the ones from those codices, people and animals are always drawn in profile. The muted earth tone color palette is a signature of Tonatiuh's work.  The front of the dust jacket contains many elements referencing portions of the story; the volcanoes, a royal residence and a commoner's home, and the moon and sun representing all time.  The title text and framing are in gold foil.  On the book case a single illustration covers it in its entirety.  It is a close-up of the warrior on the left and the princess on the right gazing at each other, a bird soaring between them and the sun on the horizon.  The opening and closing endpapers are patterned in two kinds of flowers and a single snowflake.

Of the images in this book only six are on single pages; the remainder are remarkable two-page spreads.  Those six visuals signify turning points in the tale.  Each one asks us to pause.  Each one is filled with emotion.

Distinctive lines define facial features and body shapes.  The clothing, tools, homes, jewelry, hair styles and weapons reflect the period and people.  Regardless of the powerful text, the pictures tell a story all their own.

One of my favorite illustrations is the first one in the book.  On the left we see a row of corn growing as a worker sows more seeds.  On the right villagers sit at the feet of Izta listening to her speak about poetry.  A soft circular cloud comes from her mouth, Tonatiuh's symbol for speech.


The Princess And The Warrior written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh is a lovely rendered retelling of a cultural legend.  It crosses time, generations and cultures with its universal motifs.  This book is highly recommended for your personal and professional book shelves.  In addition to the author's note at the end, Tonatiuh includes a glossary and a bibliography.

To learn more about Duncan Tonatiuh and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At TeachingBooks.net there are several resources, two audio and two written items about this particular title.  At the time of this writing you could access all of them.  Duncan Tonatiuh chats with Alia Jones, bookseller and student of anthropology, at Read It Real Good.

Update:  November 2, 2016  Duncan Tonatiuh speaks at PBS NEWSHOUR, A Mexican-American artist on why more brown faces are needed in children's books.

Bone-A Fide Facts

 Studying traditional annual celebrations is a good way to build a bridge of understanding of cultures outside your own. These holidays are steeped in history, many times dating back hundreds of years.  One of the more fascinating festivities for this student of the Spanish language and, subsequently, my students is observed by persons in the United States, Central America and Mexico.

El Dia de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, begins on November first and ends on November second.  These days are for remembering those who have died, honoring their lives and spirits in a variety of ways.  One of the most prominent symbols seen during this time is the calaveras, human skulls and skeletons.  A respected artist, a creator of the calaveras, Jose Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada, is the subject of the distinguished Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras (Abrams Books for Young Readers, August 25, 2015) written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.  This title was selected as one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015 in October, 2015.  On Monday January 11, 2016 at the American Library Association Youth Media Awards a Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor award and the Robert F. Siebert Medal were given to this book.  It is also listed by the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children as one of their honor book selections.

Skeletons riding bicycles...skeletons wearing fancy hats...skeletons dancing and strumming on guitars.  We call these festive bony figures calaveras.  

More than one hundred sixty years ago Jose Guadalupe Posada was born in a city in Mexico.  His artistic talents were noticed by an older brother, a teacher, who assisted in further art education.  At the age of eighteen Lupe learned the art of lithography and engraving by working in a shop owned by Don Trinidad Pedroza.  While working for Pedroza, Posada began producing political cartoons.  Eventually Posada opened a print shop of his own and began raising his family in the city of Leon.  They resided there for many years until a flood washed away his livelihood.

The three, Posada, his wife and son, relocated in Mexico City.  Don Posada was able to make a name for himself here, eventually opening a shop of his own again.  He also began illustrating "broadsides" with Antonio Vanegas.  Each year they were the busiest during El Dia de Muertos.  The duo created short poems, rhyming poems, with illustrations of calaveras.  Of all the literary calaveras designed during this holiday, those of Posada were the most valued.

He refined his art by learning the process of etching.  The literary calaveras elevated the holiday in obvious representations but some also seemed open to clarification.  What kind of statement was Jose Guadalupe Posada trying to make?

When Posada died in 1913 most people did not know the man responsible for the skull and skeleton drawings.  Other notable artists such as Caldecott Honor award winning Jean Charlot and Mexican painter Diego Rivera worked to bring attention to this man's work.  Thankfully another author and illustrator used his extensive talents to showcase the life and work of Posada for a whole new audience.


The written portion of this book by Duncan Tonatiuh is divided to be as engaging as possible for the reader.  Parts are strictly dedicated to his personal and professional growth.  Sections are shown explaining the steps involved in lithography, engraving and etching.  Tonatiuh also speculates on the meaning behind the images and poems, inviting readers to think and discuss.  He includes the political climate and historical changes in Mexico during Posada's lifetime providing context.  Here is a sample passage.

One of the men Don Lupe worked with was Antonio Vanegas.  He published intriguing stories on large sheets of bright paper called "broadsides."  The tales were about a wide range of topics, including scary creatures, fires, miracles, violent crimes, heroes, bandits, cockfights, and bullfighters.  Donn Lupe illustrated many of these tales.  Paperboys sold the inexpensive broadsides on the streets for a few cents, and people---even people who couldn't read---bought them.  They were fascinated by Don Lupe's drawings!


All of the illustrations were hand drawn by Duncan Tonatiuh then assembled digitally.  On the front of the dust jacket we see a blend of his original art (in the center) and that of Posada.  The framing supplied by the combination of bones and the small red flower is continued to the left on the back surrounding descriptions of the other notable titles by Tonatiuh.  Two interior images toward the back of the book have been placed on the book case; asking us to imagine how Posada would portray calaveras in today's world.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in the rustic orange-red shown on the dust jacket.

A muted color palette in browns, greens, grays, blues, white and black with a little red, purple, pink and orange bring an authenticity to the pictures.  The mix of Posada originals and Tonatiuh's pictures is superb in layout and design.  About midway into the book Tonatiuh gives full pages on the left to the drawings of Posada challenging our perceptions.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  In this image Tonatiuh depicts vendors selling

pan de muerto (bread), cempasuchil (marigold flowers), alfeniques (sugar skulls), and papel picado (paper cutouts).

Two booths are placed on the left and right with saleswomen in each.  Across the top between the two booths a string of the cutouts is displayed.  A girl selling the marigolds sits in the center but off to the right.  A woman and her son seek to make purchases.  You can almost hear the conversations.


You will want to have Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh to use for the history, the art, the explanation of an honored celebration and the beauty of the text and images.  This is an exquisite example of the best kind of nonfiction picture book.  This is also one of those books where each reading will reveal a new detail.  At the close of the book is a two page author's note, a glossary, bibliography, art credits, where you can see Posada's work in the U. S. A., an index, dedication and publication information.

To discover more about Duncan Tonatiuh and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website you can view other pictures within this title.  A lengthy educator's guide compiled by Lisa Finelli for Vanderbilt University Center for Latin American Studies can be found here.  Five questions for Duncan Tonatiuh can be found at The Horn Book site.  Duncan Tonatiuh was interviewed at EE ME BOOKSHELF.


For additional insights into the Dead of the Dead you can visit the Smithsonian Latino Center interactive site.  More can be found at the National Geographic Education page.

Please stop by Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by Alyson Beecher to see the other books selected by bloggers this week during the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.