Materials from the Americas
Quetzalcóatl tales are ancient legends from Mexico and Central America that have been passed down through the ages, primarily by oral tradition. A Quetzalcóatl Tale of Corn tells how Quetzalcóatl followed a trail of ants to the Mountain of Sustenance and stole maize from the gods to feed his people.
Tells how an Aztec and Mayan ball game resulted from a quarrel between Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and Tlaloc, another deity.
A Quetzalcoatl Tale of Corn tells how Quetzalcoatl followed a trail of ants to the Mountain of Sustenance and stole maize from the gods to feed his people.
In A Quetzalcoatl Tale of the Ball Game, Quetzalcoatl saves his people from war by playing a game with a rubber ball against the Rain God and is rewarded for winning with jade and quetzal feathers.
Having ignored his mother’s warnings about what will happen if he doesn’t bathe after working on his family’s New Mexican farm, Carlos awakens one morning to find a squash growing out of his ear.
After enjoying a blended fruit drink called aguas frescas during a festival celebrating Mexico’s independence, seven-year-old Alicia and her mother make their own at home, then invite Alicia’s soccer team over to try them.
Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las aguas frescas de Alicia has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for September 2020.
Francisco is finally old enough to journey to the mango grove all by himself to gather the mangoes for a special dinner. But bees swarm the fruit, and Francisco has trouble picking them from the tree. He returns to his father several times, and each time his father shares a different proverb to inspire Francisco to continue trying. “Querer es poder. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Finally, Francisco is able to gather some mangoes, and on his way home he stops to visit his uncle, grandmother, and aunt. Francisco shares his mangoes with them, and by the time he gets home he no longer has any! “Es mejor dar que recibir. Sometimes it’s better to give than to receive.” Luckily for Francisco, his generosity does not go unnoticed. “Amor con amor se paga. Love is repaid with love.” Readers are sure to be charmed by this humorous story about problem solving and sharing. The book includes a glossary of Spanish words.
Seven migrant workers, ranging in age from eleven to sixty-seven, tell what it is like to live in agricultural labor camps.
Everybody is fighting in sixth-grader Maximilian’s world as his elderly aunts battle for the Queen Bingo trophy, his masked uncles wrestle for the tag-team title of the world, and his sweetheart and the “new girl” battle for Max’s heart.
Maximilian & the Bingo Rematch is the sequel to Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel.
After an earthquake destroys California and a tsunami wrecks the luxury cruise ship where he is a summer employee, high schooler Shy confronts another deadly surprise.