Gloria Amescua
Gloria Amescua loves books that reach a young person’s heart, head, or funny bone and strives to do just that in her writing. She is an educator, poet and children’s book writer. She was awarded Lee & Low’s 2016 New Voices Honor Award for her manuscript about Luz Jiménez and was named a finalist for the Austin Chapter Cynthia Leitich Smith Mentorship Award and We Need Diverse Books’ Mentorship program. A nature lover, Amescua believes in children, pets, and possibilities.
Kids Books (1)
Child of the Flower-Song People
$23.99
Format:
Hardcover
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Central American; Indigenous Peoples in Mexico; Nahuas; Aztec; Nahuas;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781419740206
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Award-winning illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life debut author Gloria Amescua's lyrical biography of an indigenous Nahua woman from Mexico who taught and preserved her people's culture through modeling for famous artists
She was Luz Jiménez,
child of the flower-song people,
the powerful Aztec,
who called themselves Nahua—
who lost their land but who did not disappear.
As a young Nahua girl in Mexico during the early 1900s, Luz learned how to grind corn in a metate, to twist yarn with her toes, and to weave on a loom. By the fire at night, she listened to stories of her community’s joys, suffering, and survival, and wove them into her heart.
But when the Mexican Revolution came to her village, Luz and her family were forced to flee and start a new life. In Mexico City, Luz became a model for painters, sculptors, and photographers such as Diego Rivera, Jean Charlot, and Tina Modotti. These artists were interested in showing the true face of Mexico and not a European version. Through her work, Luz found a way to preserve her people's culture by sharing her native language, stories, and traditions. Soon, scholars came to learn from her.
This moving, beautifully illustrated biography tells the remarkable story of how model and teacher Luz Jiménez became “the soul of Mexico”—a living link between the indigenous Nahua and the rest of the world. Through her deep pride in her roots and her unshakeable spirit, the world came to recognize the beauty and strength of her people.
The book includes an author’s note, timeline, glossary, and bibliography.
Reviews
“Gloria Amescua narrates the amazing life of Luz Jiménez with lyrical beauty that echoes the very xochicuicatl—ancestral Nahua poetics—that Luz sought to preserve for her people. Child of the Flower-Song People deftly balances fascinating biographical moments with an earnest sense of social justice for the indigenous people of Mexico. Duncan Tonatiuh’s now famous codex-style art, drawn from his own Nahua heritage, makes the story and message even more poignant.” - David Bowles
"An important window into the ravages of colonialism and the plight of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico." - Kirkus Reviews
Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 10
Additional Information
48 pages | 9.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover
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