Los animales mensajeros

PreS-Gr 1—This is the first volume of Las historias del Popol Vuh for children, an adaptation of the Quiché Mayan classic about creation written by an anonymous Guatemalan Indian in the mid-16th century. This selection features the twins Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué. When their grandmother, Ixmucané, needs to speak to them, she enlists the help of a louse to relay her message. Along the way, the louse encounters a frog, a snake, and finally a hawk, all of whom offer their assistance. Each helper swallows the smaller one in order to travel faster. Once the siblings are found, each animal vomits the creature it swallowed in order for the louse to give the twins the message. The tale begins with a sense of urgency, which continues to the last page when readers discover that the grandmother merely wanted to let her grandsons know that their meal was ready. Nerei uses parentheses to provide additional explanations that are far more fleshed out in the Popol Vuh. Readers may find them confusing and disruptive. The eye-catching illustrations are both soft and bold. Piedra Santa uses neutral colors for the landscape and vibrant colors for the characters, allowing them to jump off the pages. Each page includes the Mayan symbol for numbers, and a family tree as well as the cast of characters is appended. An excellent storytelling resource, especially for libraries serving communities from Central America.—Rebecca Alcalá, San Mateo County Library System, CA