Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
Description
Description
Direct and charming.--Publishers Weekly
Cynthia Weill's book of Mexican folk art teaches kids about opposites in Spanish and English! These whimsical little animals from Oaxaca, carved and painted by hand, make learning about opposites fun. Up and down, tall and short, left and right--all inside a beautiful book.
En este libro de artesanía mexicana, Cynthia Weill le enseña a niños sobre opuestos en español e ingles! Estos animalitos fantasiosos de Oaxaca, tallados y pintados a mano, hacen aprender sobre opuestos divertido. Arriba y abajo, alto y pequeño, izquierda y derecha--todo adentro de un libro encantador.
This second work by one of the authors of ABeCedarios (2007) follows its predecessor's highly praised concept and design. Pages on the left side introduce children to a word in English and Spanish, as pages on the right side present its opposite: Asleep/Dormido (a spotted dog snoozes)/AwakeDespierto (the same dog, eyes wide open and tail sticking up).
Concepts are illustrated with photographs of unique hand-painted animal carvings created individually by Oaxacan artists Quirino and Martin Santiago. The contrast between the text colors and the bright background combines with the imaginary dialogue that children can establish with the vivacious folk-art figures to make this bilingual edition another outstanding entry in the First Concepts with Mexican Folk Art series. On some pages an external element-a sun or a moon, for instance-expands on such concepts as Day/Día and Night/Noche.
A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries. As a work of art, its display will enhance art exhibits and cultural programs as part of Hispanic Heritage Month or Children's Day/Book Day celebrations. --Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
About the Author
Cynthia Weill's fascination with the crafts of Oaxaca began while she was working in Mexico as a Fulbright exchange teacher. She has published several books in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series, which features different folk art of Oaxaca. Many of the figures showcased in this series are now part of the permanent Mesoamerican Anthropology collections at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Cindy lives in New York City and online at cynthiaweill.net.
Martín and Quirino Santiago are brothers who carve wooden figures. The figures in Opuestos were made in La Union Tejalapam, a Oaxacan village that lies in a valley between the mountains of the Sierra Norte. Martín Santiago, a farmer, began carving in the late 1960s and his brother Quirino followed him into the trade soon after.
The figures are made from the wood of the flowering jacaranda tree. After carving the pieces, the artisans paint them with natural aniline dyes. Making the figures requires enormous skill as the artisans work with machetes on small pieces of wood. Quirino and Martín draw inspiration from the world around them. They observe their own livestock such as goats and cows, domestic animals like cats and dogs, and the wild animals they see such as deer and lynx.
Quirino and Martín carved the figures in Opuestos with help from their brother Placido and his sons Calixto and Eloy, their nephew Maximino Santiago, their cousin Julio Jimenez, and Martin's son Jaime.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Direct and charming." -- Publishers Weekly
"The contrast between the text colors and the bright background combines with the imaginary dialogue that children can establish with the vivacious folk-art figures to make this bilingual edition another outstanding entry in the First Concepts with Mexican Folk Art series. . . A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Readers see brightly painted wood characters set against equally vibrantly colored background pages that effortlessly convey the concept the author sets out to teach. . . This attractive volume conveys the concept in a unique and inviting fashion and provides youngsters with an introduction to some Mexican art in the process." -- School Library Journal
Blue Ribbon List - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
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