This year’s chosen creator is Duncan Tonatiuh!
Duncan was born in Mexico City and grew up in San Miguel de Allende. He graduated from Parsons The New School for Design and from Eugene Lang College in New York City in 2008. His work is inspired by Ancient Mexican art, particularly that of the Mixtec codex. His aim is to create images that honor the past, but that address contemporary issues that affect people of Mexican origin on both sides of the border. His book Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale is the winner of the 2014 Tomás Rivera Mexican American children’s book award. It is also the first book to receive two honorable mentions, one for the illustrations and one for the text, from the Pura Belpré Award for a work that best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children’s books. The book was featured in USA Today, The Chicago Sun, The Houston Chronicle among other major publications because it deals with the controversial topic of immigration. His book Diego Rivera: His World and Ours won the 2012 Pura Belpré illustration award. It also won the 2012 Tomás Rivera. His first book Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin received an honorable mention from the Pura Belpré Award in 2011. It was named an Americas Award Commended Title and a Notable Book for a Global Society list.
Resources:
- Author Website
- StoryMakers Interview with Duncan Tonatiuh
- TedX Duncan Tonatiuh: Life on the Other Side
- Book Creator Book
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2010
Award: Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book
Description: Two cousins—one in the United States and one in Mexico—learn their lives aren’t so different in this charming picture book.
Resources:
- Read Aloud
- Five College Consortium Lesson Plan
- Mail Time! An Integrated Postcard and Geography Study from Read, Write, Think
- Read, Write, Think Interactives: Post Card Creator, Letter Generator
The Princess and the Warrior
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2016
Award: Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book
Description: A cherished Mexican legend is brought to life.
Izta was the most beautiful princess in the land, and suitors traveled from far and wide to woo her. Even though she was the daughter of the emperor, Izta had no desire to marry a man of wealth and power. Instead, she fell in love with Popoca, a brave warrior who fought in her father’s army—and a man who did not offer her riches but a promise to stay by her side forever.
The emperor did not want his daughter to marry a mere warrior, but he recognized Popoca’s bravery. He offered Popoca a deal: If the warrior could defeat their enemy, Jaguar Claw, then the emperor would permit Popoca and Izta to wed. But Jaguar Claw had a plan to thwart the warrior. Would all be lost?
Today two majestic volcanoes—Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl—stand overlooking Mexico City. They have been admired and revered for countless generations, and have formed the basis of many origin and creation myths. In The Princess and the Warrior, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh retells one of Mexico’s cherished legends.
Resources:
- PBS Lesson Plan on Volcanoes
- Epic Volcano Collection
- Read, Write, Think Lesson Plan on Pourquoi story
- Scholastic Lesson Plan on Pourquoi Stories
Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2020
Description: An ancient Mesoamerican creation myth brought to life.
Long ago, the gods of Mesoamerica set out to create humans. They tried many times during each sun, or age. When all their attempts failed and the gods grew tired, only one did not give up: Quetzalcóatl—the Feathered Serpent. To continue, he first had to retrieve the sacred bones of creation guarded by Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the underworld. Gathering his staff, shield, cloak, and shell ornament for good luck, Feathered Serpent embarked on the dangerous quest to create humankind.
Award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life the story of Feathered Serpent, one of the most important deities in ancient Mesoamerica. With his instantly recognizable, acclaimed art style and grand storytelling, Tonatiuh recounts a thrilling creation tale of epic proportions.
Resources:
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Teotihuacan Curriculum
- Scholastic Myth Lessons
- Smithsonian Creation Myth Lesson Plan
- Kennedy Center Creation Myth Play Scripts
Separate is Never Equal
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2014
Award: Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book and Robert F Sibert Honor Book
Description: Seven years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family fought to end segregation in California schools.
When her family moved to the town of Westminster, California, young Sylvia Mendez was excited about enrolling in her neighborhood school. But she and her brothers were turned away and told they had to attend the Mexican school instead. Sylvia could not understand why—she was an American citizen who spoke perfect English. Why were the children of Mexican families forced to attend a separate school? Unable to get a satisfactory answer from the school board, the Mendez family decided to take matters into its own hands and organize a lawsuit.
In the end, the Mendez family’s efforts helped bring an end to segregated schooling in California in 1947, seven years before the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in schools across America.
Using his signature illustration style and incorporating his interviews with Sylvia Mendez, as well as information from court files and news accounts, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh tells the inspiring story of the Mendez family’s fight for justice and equality.
Resources:
- An Educator's Guide
- Reading is Resistance Lesson Plan
- Biography Sylvia Mendez
- Britannica Kids: Sylvia Mendez
Diego Rivera His World and Ours
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2011
Award: Pura Belpre Illustrator Winner
Description: Discover the life and legacy of celebrated Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
After studying in Spain and France as a young man, Diego was excited to return to his home country of Mexico. There, he toured from the coasts to the plains to the mountains. He met the peoples of different regions and explored the cultures, architecture, and history of those that had lived before. Returning to Mexico City, he painted great murals representing all that he had seen. He provided the Mexican people with a visual history of who they were and, most important, who they are.
Award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh, who has also been inspired by the art and culture of his native Mexico, asks, if Diego was still painting today, what history would he tell through his artwork? What stories would he bring to life? Drawing inspiration from Rivera to create his own original work, Tonatiuh helps young readers to understand the importance of Diego Rivera’s artwork and to realize that they too can tell stories through art.
Resources:
- Reading is Fundamental Resources
- Reading to Kids Lesson Plan
- Diego Rivera Website
- Biography Diego Rivera
- Britannica Kids: Diego Rivera
Collaborative List
Curator: Margaret Cuthbertson
Cabarrus County Schools, NC
#GRADuncan #GRA21
Email: readingmrc@gmail.com
Website: https://theglobalreadaloud.com/2021/02/20/global-read-aloud-2021-yes-its-happening-gra21/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GRAPictureBook
Twitter: @globalreadaloud