Summary:
Tetl’s skin is brown, his eyes are black, and his hair is long. He’s different from the other children, whose taunts wound him deeply, leaving him confused and afraid. But Tetl’s grandmother knows the ancient teachings of their Aztec ancestors, and how they viewed the earth as alive with sacred meaning. With her help, he learns to listen to the mountains, wind, corn, and stones. Tetl's journey from self-doubt to proud acceptance of his Nahuatl heritage is told in a series of powerful poems, beautifully expressed in both English and Spanish. Vivid illustrations celebrate nature’s redemptive powers, offering a perfect complement to the poignant story.
My review:
This book is a series of vibrant pictures with simple poems to match. The poems are written first in Spanish and then in English. Although I said the poems are simple, they truly have depth and feeling to all of them. All of the individual poems fit together to create the story.
This book is written in first person narrative and the poems depict the author growing up and his having been bullied due to the fact he was Pipil Nahua Indian. It is so much more than that though.
The author describes his spiritual background and how that along with his grandmother's help learned to over come the bullying, blatant racism, and be free to love himself.
Note: This author has won numerous awards for his books. One would be amiss not to purchase his books and share them with children and adults everywhere.
Well worth the 5 stars and beyond he is receiving from me!
Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collection. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
Where to find the author:
Amazon
Website
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