This book tells the myth of the creation of humans. It is a Mesoamerican story and includes words in the authentic language of the Aztecs. The author does provide a detailed description of the history of the myth and his version of the story. Middle elementary students would love this story to introduce them to the genre of mythology.

Gorgeously illustrated tale of Aztec mythology, told perfectly for the audience.

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

PK-5
Tomas Rivera Book Award 19967-2021
Recent Books Awards Winners and Honorees
International Latino Book Awards 2000-2021
Center For The Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books 2013-2020

This beautifully illustrated creation story captivated me from the first to the last page. Before reading this story, I knew nothing of Mesoamerica, despite learning about it in history class in high school briefly. However, I am so glad to have found this creation story picture book when browsing through new children's books. The story was written in different colored fonts depending on background color of the illustrations. This story has beautiful prose which evokes a more intimate reading, like you are a young child sitting around a campfire in ancient Mesoamerica listening to a tribal elder tell you about this myth for the first time. This book focuses on the quest of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, who wants to make one more try in creating humans after several failed attempts with the other gods. His quest is valiant and inspiring. At the end of the story, the author includes an author’s note explaining the story and how little is known about these legends and stories from the actual indigenous people themselves. Much of what is written is from the Spanish and the Europeans who came to the continent. A glossary was also included of terms children will not recognize, which is all in the Aztec language.

Genre: Folklore/Fairytale ( )