SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: A LAND OF BOOK
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.duncantonatiuh.com/
CITY: San Miguel de Allende
STATE:
COUNTRY: Mexico
NATIONALITY: Mexican
LAST VOLUME: SATA 365
http://duncantonatiuh.wordpress.com/ http://twitter.com/duncantonatiuh http://www.miamibookfair.com/authors/duncan_tonatiuh.aspx http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=19858
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Surname pronounced “Toh-nah-tee-YOU”; born in Mexico City, Mexico; son of an American father and a Mexican mother.
EDUCATION:Parsons School of Design, B.F.A. (integrated design), 2008; Eugene Lange College, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator.
AWARDS:Tbilisi International Festival Grand Prize for Best Project, 2010, for Journey of a Mixteco; Chicago Public Library Best of the Best selection, Notable Children’s Book selection, American Library Association (ALA), and ALA Pura Belpré Award Illustrator Honor Book selection, all 2010, and Notable Book for a Global Society listee and Library of Congress Américas Award commended selection, both 2011, all for Dear Primo; ALA Notable Children’s Books designation, Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award, and Pura Belpré Award for illustration, all 2012, all for Diego Rivera; 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing listee, New York Public Library, 2013, and Notable Books for a Global Society selection, International Reading Association, ALA Notable Children’s Books designation and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book for both narrative and illustration, and Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award, all 2014, all for Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote; Américas Award, ALA Notable Children’s Books designation, ALA Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book designation, Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, Orbis Pictus Honor Book designation, and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book selection for illustration, all 2015, all for Separate Is Never Equal; New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, ALA Notable Children’s Books designation, Orbis Pictus Honor Book selection, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book selection for illustration, all 2016, all for Funny Bones; Pura Belpré Award Honor Book selection for illustration, 2017, for both The Princess and the Warrior and Danza!; Library of Congress, Américas Award, 2018, for Undocumented; and 2019, for Soldier for Equality; Pura Belpré Medal, 2020.
WRITINGS
Author/illustrator of “Journey of a Mixteco,” serialized on Topshelfcomix.com. Illustrator for books published in Mexico by ST-Editorial and CIDCLI. Author’s work has been published in Spanish.
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote was adapted for audiobook, read by Luis Moreno, Recorded Books, 2013, and was adapted for the stage by Susan Gayle Todd and Caroline Sweet and produced in Austin, TX, 2015. Separate Is Never Equal was adapted for audiobook, Dreamscape Media, 2014.
SIDELIGHTS
A native of Mexico, Duncan Tonatiuh has earned a host of honors for his self-illustrated picture books, among them the Américas Award, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, and the Pura Belpré Award for illustration. Ranging from fiction to nonfiction, Tonatiuh’s children’s books include the illustrated stories Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, and Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth as well as picture-book biographies such as Danza! Amalía Hernández and el Ballet Folklórico de Mexico and Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Saénz and the Great War. The images he creates to pair with his original texts evoke the stylized art created by Mixtec and other ancient Mexican cultures. These influences can also be seen in the illustrations Tonatiuh has contributed to books by other writers.
Tonatiuh grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, but moved to the United States as a teen. After high school, he was accepted at the prestigious Parsons School of Design; he continued his study of art at Eugene Lang College, located in New York City. His uniquely recognizable style was inspired, in part, by his study of the Mixtec writing used by Mesoamericans prior to the arrival of Europeans in the early 1500s. It also draws from contemporary Mexican culture and on the cultural traditions he recalls from childhood.
Tonatiuh captures his dual cultural heritage in Dear Primo, a picture book focusing on two cousins who grow up in different cultures. While Charlie resides in New York City, Carlitos makes his home in rural Mexico, where his family owns a farm. Letters exchanged between the two boys illustrate both the similarities and differences in their daily lives: events ranging from attending school and playing with friends to what they eat, how they celebrate holidays, and how their families pass their free time. Featuring an English text with words in Spanish, Dear Primo also showcases the author/illustrator’s “clever use of colors” by contrasting the “Mayan blue and Indian red” of Carlitos’s world with the “bright colors” characteristic to Charlie’s middle-class culture. Tonatiuh’s “writing is simple yet peppered with imagery that enhances it significantly,” wrote Grace Oliff in School Library Journal, the critic adding that his artwork “accurately reflects [Mesoamerica’s] Mixtec tradition.”
In the picture-book biography Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, Tonatiuh contrasts the life story of a noted twentieth-century Mexican muralist with thought-provoking questions regarding the nature of artistic inspiration. If Rivera was alive today, what would his murals depict?, wonders the author, thereby “establishing a link [with] … modern readers” and defining “art” as “both aspiration and action,” according to a Kirkus Reviews writer. Praising the picture-book biography for adopting an “inspired approach that combines child appeal, cultural anthropology, and art history,” Wendy Lukehart added in her School Library Journal review of Diego Rivera that Tonatiuh’s colorful illustrations capture “scenes both thoughtful and humorous.”
In Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras readers meet José Guadalupe Posada, a nineteenth-century printmaker and political cartoonist who earned recognition for his images of calaveras: skeletons that have become associated with festive celebrations such as Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead. “The chronicle is wide-ranging despite its compactness, touching on Mexican history … and artistic technique,” wrote Deborah Stevenson in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. “Posada’s artwork is also featured” in Funny Bones, commented Jonathan Hunt in Horn Book, and it “provides a nice complement to Tonatiuh’s illustrations.”
Tonatiuh also focuses on the arts in Danza!, which a Kirkus Reviews critic described as “an ode to Mexico’s rich heritage of indigenous dance.” Here Tonatiuh profiles Amalía Hernández, a native of Mexico City whose work as a choreographer during the mid-and late-twentieth century was inspired by her love of the traditional dances performed in native Mexican communities. Focusing on Hernández’s dance troupe El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Tonatiuh’s book “tells Hernandez’s story with careful attention to detail and with obvious admiration,” according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor. “Beautifully illustrated,” according to a Children’s Bookwatch writer, Danza! introduces children to “the rich history of dance in Mexico,” and a Kirkus Reviews critic cited Tonatiuh’s “striking” multimedia images as well as his “obvious admiration for [his] … subject.”
Another nonfiction work, Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, examines a Mexican American family’s struggle to allow their children to attend the same school as their Caucasian neighbors, years before the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education reached the U.S. Supreme Court. “The straightforward narrative is well matched with the illustrations in Tonatiuh’s signature style,” remarked Hunt in Horn Book, while a Kirkus Reviews writer asserted that the author/illustrator “masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history.”
In Soldier for Equality, Tonatiuh profiles a young Texas teacher named José de la Luz Sáenz, one of many young Mexican Americans to demonstrate their patriotism on European battlefields during World War I. Learning French, Luz worked for Army Intelligence overseas, but was dismayed when anti-Mexican prejudice was still directed at him upon his return stateside. In later years, he became a vocal advocate of civil rights and helped found the League of United Latin American Citizens. A Kirkus Reviews critic cited the author/illustrator’s “insightful use” of Luz’s war-time journal entries, which, combined with his stylized illustrations, make the work “an important contribution to … U.S. and Mexican American history.” “Tonatiuh’s signature style is on full display” in Soldier for Equality according to Hunt, the critic adding that his use of “digitally manipulated colors and textures complement [the] thin lines and flat shapes” that emulate the Mixtec tradition.
Although a fictional story, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote presents “a valuable portrait of the often-perilous journeys of migrant Mexicans who seek work in the U.S.,” according to a Publishers Weekly contributor. As captured In Tonatiuh’s mix of text and art, Papá Rabbit has spent years toiling in the lettuce and carrot fields north of his home, and when he fails to return to his family, son Pancho goes in search of him. During his journey across the desert, the young rabbit falls under the sway of Coyote, whose promise of safe passage proves hollow. Tonatiuh “adds atmosphere aplenty in arresting, flat folk art,” John Peters noted in his Booklist review of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, while a Kirkus Reviews writer noted of the story that “No word is wasted, as each emotion is clearly and poignantly expressed.”
Tonatiuh’s other adaptations of Mexican folklore include his self-illustrated picture books The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes and Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns. In the first, he was inspired by a story told to him in childhood. Princess Izta has reached marriageable age and has several suitors, among them the warrior Popoca. Challenged by the emperor to vanquish a hated enemy, Popoca departs to accomplish this task. When a challenger for the princess’s hand attempts to advance his own cause by reporting Popoca’s death, Izta falls into a deep slumber. Her spirit lives on in central Mexico: there the dormant volcano Iztaccíhuatl appears to be sleeping while the adjacent mountain, Popocatépetl, demonstrates its life by emitting smoke and ash.
In Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns, Tonatiuh shares a creation myth that reveals the meaning of his unusual surname. Tōnatiuh was an Aztec god who ruled the eastern skies of the earth. Four gods had ruled before him, but their efforts to create human life were all unsuccessful, producing mountains, fish, monkeys, and birds in their turn. Ultimately the god Quetzacoatl, who appears as a feathered snake, braves a trip into the nine regions of the Underworld to acquire the ancient bones needed to achieve success. Describing the “warm landscapes” and the “electric” quality of Tonatiuh’s art here, a Kirkus Reviews contributor praised the “succinct clarity” of his accompanying text. Told in the author/illustrator’s “signature style,” Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns shares a “fresh, even humorous” retelling that possesses “all the literary elements of a good story,” according to Amina Chaudhri in Booklist.
Discussing his illustrative techniques in a Kirkus Reviews interview with Julie Danielson, Tonatiuh stated: “My artwork is very much inspired by Pre-Columbian art, especially by Mixtec codices from the 14th century. That is why my art is very geometric, my characters are always in profile, and their ears look a bit like the number three. My intention is to celebrate that ancient art and keep it alive.”
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Tonatiuh illustrated Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, written by Gloria Amescua. The story reveals the disastrous effects of colonization on Indigenous culture through a biography of Jimenez, who was known as the soul of her people. Jimenez was a Nahua (Aztec) who lived in early 20th century Mexico. She learned the arts of her culture, weaving, grinding corn, and singing songs. Her father died in the Mexican revolution, and afterwards, she attended government school in Mexico City where they taught her Spanish and stifled her Indigenous culture. After the war, Jimenez supported her family by posing for artists, including Diego Rivera, and taught scholars about her Nahua culture.
In an interview with Kimberly Fakih in School Library Journal, Tonatiuh explained that when he first saw the text of the book, “I really like the story of this woman, who is familiar from all these paintings and artwork, but we don’t know her story… We always know the painter, but not the model….I’m always interested in unsung heroes.” Kay Weisman declared in Booklist: “Tonatiuh’s signature Mixtec-inspired art is a delight. Outlined characters appear in profile, with ovoid-shaped heads and ears resembling the number three.” In School Library Journal, Savanna Kitchens commented on Jimenez’s impact on contemporary Mexican culture, adding: “Tonatiuh’s beautiful pre-Columbian illustrations provide a vivid play-by-play of events and evoke Jimenez’s ultimate impact on the art world.”
As writer and illustrator, Tonatiuh describes the tlahcuilohqueh, or painters of words, who made books in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Europeans in A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters. In the bilingual story blending English and Spanish, a girl explains the process to her brother, how the Mexihcah (or Aztecs) worked in a house dedicated to making books, made paint from insects, painted words, bound books, and decorated covers with features. Families took pride in doing this work. Tonatiuh also explores Mexihcah culture, religion, and creation stories. A Land of Books also explains that the conquistadores destroyed many of the Mexihcah books. In School Library Journal, Margaret Kennelly praised Tonatiuh for his authentic illustrations and beautiful depictions of his heritage, adding: “Once again Tonatiuh has gathered history, language, and stories into a cultural gift to readers; an excellent book for students.” According to a Kirkus Reviews writer: “Tonatiuh’s respect and reverence for the subject shine through” and he “brilliantly conveys emotions and atmosphere with his colorful visuals.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2010, Andrew Medlar, review of Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin, p. 48; June 1, 2013, John Peters, review of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, p. 110; May 1, 2014, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, p. 89; September 15, 2018, Terry Hong, review of Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight, p. 47; August 1, 2020, Amina Chaudhri, review of Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth, p. 52; August 2021, Kay Weisman, review of Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua, p. 44.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October, 2015, Deborah Stevenson, review of Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, p. 117.
Children’s Bookwatch, November, 2017, review of Danza! Amalía Hernández and el Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.
Horn Book, July-August, 2014, Jonathan Hunt, review of Separate Is Never Equal, p. 119; November-December, 2015, Jonathan Hunt, review of Funny Bones, p. 108; January-February, 2019, Monica Tapia Boyer, review of Undocumented, p. 84; January-February, 2020, Jonathan Hunt, review of Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Saénz and the Great War, p. 111.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2010, review of Dear Primo; May 1, 2011, review of Diego Rivera: His World and Ours; 2013, review of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote; June 1, 2014, review of Separate Is Never Equal; June 15, 2015, review of Funny Bones; July 1, 2017, review of Danza!; August 15, 2019, review of Soldier for Equality; July 15, 2020, review of Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns; August 15, 2022, review of A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters.
Publishers Weekly, March 15, 2010, review of Dear Primo, p. 52; April 8, 2013, review of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, p. 64; March 3, 2014, review of Separate Is Never Equal, p. 67; December 2, 2015, review of Funny Bones, p. 46.
School Librarian, summer, 2010, Lucinda Jacob, review of Dear Primo, p. 94; November 2022, Margaret Kennelly, review of A Land of Books, p. 53; October 2021, Savanna Kitchens, review of Child of the Flower-Song People, p. 99.
School Library Journal, March, 2010, Grace Oliff, review of Dear Primo, p. 134; April, 2011, Wendy Lukehart, review of Diego Rivera, p. 165; April, 2013, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, p. 145; May, 2014, Toby Rajput, review of Separate Is Never Equal, p. 151; September, 2015, Toby Rajput, review of Funny Bones, p. 183.
ONLINE
American Library Association website, http://publiclibrariesonline.org/ (February 4, 2016), Brendan Dowling, author interview.
Duncan Tonatiuh website, http://duncantonatiuh.com (November 6, 2020).
Kirkus Reviews, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (May 29, 2014), Julie Danielson, author interview.
Politics & Prose, http://www.politics-prose.com/book-notes/ (February 1, 2016), author interview.
School Library Journal, https://www.slj.com/ (November 22, 2021), Kimberly Fakih, “Straddling Cultures: Interview with 2021 Best Books Cover Illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh.”
Top Shelf Comix, http://www.topshelfcomix.com/ (February 1, 2016), author profile.
Duncan Tonatiuh
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Duncan Tonatiuh
Duncan Tonatiuh receives a 2018 Americas Award from the Library of Congress.
Duncan Tonatiuh receives a 2018 Americas Award from the Library of Congress.
Born 1984 (age 37–38)
Mexico City, Mexico
Occupation
Writerillustrator
Language
EnglishSpanish
Nationality
MexicanAmerican
Alma mater Parsons School of Design (B.F.A.)
Eugene Lang College (B.A.)
Genre Children's literature
Years active 2010–present
Notable works Separate Is Never Equal (2014)
Website
duncantonatiuh.com
Duncan Tonatiuh (born 1984)[1] is a Mexican-American author and illustrator of several award-winning children's books. The illustrations in his books are influenced by Pre-Columbian art. The themes in his stories relate to the Latino experience, with subjects that include social justice issues, art, history, and immigration. He is an advocate and activist for workers’ rights.[2]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Books
3 Awards
4 Bibliography
4.1 Illustrator and author
4.2 Illustrator
5 References
6 External links
Early life
Tonatiuh was born in 1984 in Mexico City[1] to an American father and a Mexican mother and was raised in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.[2] He moved to the United States as a teenager and completed high school at Buxton School in Massachusetts.[3] As a child, he was inspired by comics and anime to write and illustrate his own superhero stories.[4] In high school, he became interested in painting, finding inspiration in the works of Vincent van Gogh and Egon Schiele.[4]
Career
In 2008, Tonatiuh received his B.F.A. from Parsons School of Design in Manhattan and a B.A. from Eugene Lang College.[5] While in college, he became interested in Mixtec artwork, specifically Mixtec codex.[6] His senior thesis, Journey of a Mixteco, won best thesis and was published online.[7] Immediately after graduating, he was contracted by Abrams Books for Young Children, publishing his first book Dear Primo in 2010. He divides his time between Mexico and the U.S., visiting schools, libraries, and bookstores. He is a workers’ rights activist.
Books
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin (2010) is about two cousins who live in the United States and Mexico and how their lives are similar yet different. The book shows how life is different for these two cousins, Charlie and Carlitos. It also talks about how their lives might be different but how they are both very similar people.
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours (May 2011) concerns the life of Diego Rivera. It is summarized for young people to read. It talks about his journey to being one of the most famous painters in the world. Tonatiuh also wants young readers to think about what Diego Rivera would be like today if he were alive.
Pancho Rabbit and Coyote (May 7, 2013) is about a young rabbit (Pancho) who is waiting for his Papa's return from working in the carrot and lettuce fields up north to earn money for his family. Pancho becomes impatient and sets out on a journey to find his father. He packs his Papa's favorite meal, mole, rice, beans, tortillas, and aguamiel. He eventually finds a coyote who is willing to travel with him in exchange for food. When the food is all gone, the coyote is still hungry and eats Pancho. This book helps shine a light on the struggles that many families go through to have a better life.
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight (May 6, 2014): About ten years before Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez was denied the right to go to a "Whites only" school in California. She and her parents brought together the Hispanic community and filed a lawsuit that was in the federal district court. They eventually ended school segregation in California.
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras (2015) is about how the calaveras (skeletons), who performed everyday and festive activities, came to be. José Guadalupe Posada drew political cartoons because there was no freedom of speech. His calavera drawings are best known for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
In Salsa (2015), Jorge Argueta, Elisa Amando, and Duncan Tonatiuh bring together an easy and delicious recipe for salsa. The salsa includes tomatoes as bongos and kettledrums, onion, marca, garlic, cilantro and the trumpets, and the conductor.
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes (2016): Princess Izta had many people who wanted to marry her. When Popoca, a warrior, came along and promised to love her and be true to her, she fell in love. In order for Princess Izta and Popoca to get married, the emperor told him that he needed to defeat their enemy, Jaguar Claw. His challenger sent a message to Princess Izta saying he was dead when he was still alive and about to defeat Jaguar Claw. Princess Izta then went into a very deep sleep and couldn't be woken by anyone. It is a story of how two volcanoes were formed, Iztaccíhuatl (who sleeps) and Popocatépetl (who tries to wake her by ash and smoke).
Awards
2011 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
2011 Américas Award Commendation[9]
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours
2012 Pura Belpré Medal winner for illustration[8]
2012 Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale
2014 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
2014 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for narrative[8]
2014 Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
2014 Américas Award Honor[9]
Separate is Never equal: Sylvia Méndez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
2015 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
2015 Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
2015 Jane Addams Award
2015 Robert F. Sibert Informational Books Medal
2015 Américas Award[9]
2015 Carter G. Woodson Book Award
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras
2015 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books
2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
2016 Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award
2016 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
2016 Américas Award Honor[9]
Salsa: Un poema para cocinar / A Cooking Poem
2016 Américas Award Commendation[9]
Esquivel: Space-Age Sound Artist
2017 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
The Princess and the Warrior
2017 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for illustration[8]
2017 Américas Award Commendation[9]
2017 Charlotte Zolotow Award Commendation[10]
Danza!: Amalia Hernández and el Ballet Folklórico de México
2018 Américas Award[9]
Undocumented: A Worker's Fight
2019 Américas Award[9]
Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War
2020 Pura Belpré Medal – honor for author[8]
Bibliography
Illustrator and author
Dear Primo: A Letter To My Cousin, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2010.
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2011.
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2013.
Separate is never equal: Sylvia Méndez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2014.
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2015.
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2016.
Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War, Abrams Books for Young Readers (New York, N.Y.) 2019.
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist written by Susan Wood, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA) 2016.
Illustrator
Salsa: Un poema para cocinar / A Cooking Poem written by Jorge Argueta, Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press (Toronto, ON) 2015.
Duncan Tonatiuh
(toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author-illustrator.
He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, México and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City.
Straddling Cultures: Interview with 2021 Best Books Cover Illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh
by Kimberly Fakih
Nov 22, 2021 | Filed in News & Features
0
Photo by EugeniaTinajero
With dozens of illustrators to choose from for the cover of our annual December Best Books issue, there was a unanimous sentiment that award-winning Duncan Tonatiuh, who created the art for Gloria Amescua’s Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, was a perfect fit.
The SLJ cover illustration was based on an early iteration of the Child of the Flower-Song People cover, itself based on a painting by Diego Rivera. From that sketch, the current cover blossomed and became something new. Tonatiuh’s art hearkens back centuries, but his point of view is modern. He has the sleight of hand required to juxtapose past and present in a way that reinvents both, creating for readers a moment of time travel.
In a pandemic, Tonatiuh offers the ultimate salvation—he takes us somewhere else.
The book is about Julia Jiménez, better known as Luz. She is a hero with the sturdy intelligence and strength of character to straddle two cultures; that of her Nahua people and the new era wrought by Spanish invaders, who needed the Indigenous population to collectively forget who they were. Luz ended up a model for the greatest artists of the era, and also a teacher of her culture and language. One scene shows her next to a sculpture, while in the distance are skyscrapers. To see illustrations of a modern cityscape in the style of pre-Columbian art invites viewers in, where they find the old ways pushed up against the new.
Tonatiuh knows these contrasts, and the straddling of cultures, well. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and moved to the United States when he was 15. He has since returned to San Miguel, where he and his wife tended their children as well as Tonatiuh’s in-laws during the first year of the pandemic.
He usually works alone, having collaborated with other writers only three times.
“I like writing and illustrating my own books,” Tonatiuh says of works such as Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoameri can Creation Myth and Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. “But doing someone else’s presents welcome new challenges.” For example, Susan Wood, who wrote Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist, used sound words throughout the text.
“For the first time, I had the opportunity to really work with hand lettering,” Tonatiuh says. The lettering he’s referring to ranges from a psychedelic “Whee-Doop-Di-Doop!” to a squiggly Palmer-Writing-Method “Squiddle-didly-squee!” They surround a child drawn like a pre-Columbian nerd, in horn-rimmed glasses, a two-toned shirt, and cowboy boots.
Tonatiuh was originally just consulting on Child of the Flower-Song People. “When my editor [Howard Reeves, at Abrams] first showed me the text, it was to get my take on it, because I’m from Mexico. But I really like the story of this woman, who is familiar from all these paintings and artwork, but we don’t know her story,” he says. “We don’t know the actual person. We always know the painter, but not the model.” There is one more reason the story spoke to him.
“I’m always interested in unsung heroes,” he adds. “I am drawn to them.”
The pandemic brought new challenges as Tonatiuh and his wife tried to balance parenting with young children at home and work. For the first part of the pandemic, he didn’t even try to create. “It was hard to find time. I was very limited,” he says.
Then his daughter started virtual school. “We shared a little office,” he says. “I’d be working on the book on my computer, and if she needed help on something, I’d stop and give her a hand.”
The opening art he created for the Best Books section came not from history, but from home.
“Absolutely every night, my wife and I alternate putting my kids to bed,” he says. “I love reading to them at night, and just being cozy while I read.”
He smiles sheepishly. “But I also often fall asleep before they do,” he notes. “And so I decided to draw that.” Time travel catches up to us all.
Tonatiuh, Duncan A LAND OF BOOKS Abrams (Children's None) $19.99 11, 15 ISBN: 978-1-4197-4942-1
Explore how intricate storytelling and painted books arose in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Europeans.
Told from the perspective of a child speaking to a brother, this trip through Mesoamerican bookmaking begins with a summoning: "Our world, my brother, is an amoxtlalpan"--a "land of books." There are nods to other Mesoamerican civilizations--the Chontaltin, the Mixtecah--before the narrator proclaims, "And we, the mighty Mexihcah who dwell in the valley of the volcanoes, make books too." From there, readers follow along through a breakdown of how the Mexihcah (referred to as Aztecs in English) created books. The child explains how their parents, tlahcuilohqueh ("painters of words"), work in the amoxcalli ("house of books"). Tonatiuh deftly outlines the lengthy processes devoted to the creation of the multipaged, colorfully rendered amoxtin, from decorating book covers with feathers and precious stones to making paint out of insects. Tonatiuh probes deeper into Mexihcah culture as the narrator discusses education, literacy, and religion, describing how the four Tezcatlipocah, or gods, created the world and the god Blue Hummingbird sparked a great migration. Throughout each shift in focus, Tonatiuh's respect and reverence for the subject shine through loud and clear as he shares knowledge of Mesoamerican books almost lost to the past (a detailed author's note states that, following the Spanish conquest, many of the books were destroyed). As always, the author/illustrator brilliantly conveys emotions and atmosphere with his colorful visuals--an inspired offspring of pre-Columbian art. A glossary defines the Nahuatl words used throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Utterly indispensable. (bibliography, websites) (Informational picture book. 5-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Tonatiuh, Duncan: A LAND OF BOOKS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713722683/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1215caf0. Accessed 20 Dec. 2022.
TONATIUH, Duncan. A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters. illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh. 48p. Abrams. Nov. 2022. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781419749421.
Gr 2-5--A young girl tells her brother the story of the tlahcuilohqueh, painters of words. She slowly tells her brother all about the stories they make, what happens to them, and the pride of her family in doing this job. Tonatiuh has created a story that blends cultures and historical facts into words students will understand. The mix of English and Spanish comprise a simple vocabulary aided by a glossary at the end which facilitates bilingual readers and learners alike. The spare text on each page is very visible against the fantastic illustrations. Tonatiuh continues to create beautiful depictions of his heritage, with each illustration showing exactly what the text addresses, and making certain parts of the Mexihcah book process much clearer. The simple details of his drawings are amazing; at the end of the book, readers will understand just how authentically the illustrations hew to actual pictures of the handful of remaining codices. An author's note at the end also serves as a history, going into the dark time of colonization and how his culture, and the books of his people, have been harshly impacted. VERDICT Once again Tonatiuh has gathered history, language, and stories into a cultural gift to readers; an excellent book for students who want to learn how books are made, those who love history (even the difficult parts), and anyone interested in learning about Mexihcah culture.--Margaret Kennelly
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kennelly, Margaret. "TONATIUH, Duncan. A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters." School Library Journal, vol. 68, no. 11, Nov. 2022, p. 53. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A724886638/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d69c1df3. Accessed 20 Dec. 2022.
AMESCUA, Gloria. Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua. illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh. 48p. Abrams. Aug. 2021. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781419740206.
Gr 1-5--The moving story of one of the biggest cultural influences on Mexican culture. Luz Jimenez loves learning about her Nahua culture--from traditional weaving and cooking to the beautiful stories told by the fire. And even though it means wearing strange European-style clothes, she also loves going to school. Jimenez is sure there's a way to combine her love of her Nahua culture and her growing passion to teach, until the Mexican revolution changes everything. In the aftermath of war, the subject and her family struggle to find their way in Mexico City, until she finds a solution that could save her family and the story of her people. The straightforward text belies a complicated story about the devastating effects of colonization on an Indigenous culture and the complex ways that Jimenez had an immeasurable impact on contemporary Mexican culture. Tonatiuh's beautiful pre-Columbian illustrations provide a vivid play-by-play of events and evoke Jimenez's ultimate impact on the art world. An author's note gives more historical context, and a time line, glossary, and bibliography make this a valuable source for student researchers. Missing are examples of some of the art Jimenez inspired, but students reading this will be impulsed to find those on their own. VERDICT Essential reading about the impacts of colonialism for public and school libraries.--Savannah Kitchens, Parnell Memorial Lib., Montevallo, AL
Caption: Child of the Flower Song People (Amescua) [c]2021 by Duncan Tonatiuh
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kitchens, Savannah. "AMESCUA, Gloria. Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 99+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A678583669/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f0cd6865. Accessed 20 Dec. 2022.
Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua. By Gloria Amescua. Illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh. Aug. 2021.48p. Abrams, $18.99 (9781419740206). Gr. 1-4. 897.45.
Amescua introduces Luz Jimenez, a young Nahua (Aztec) girl living in early twentieth-century Mexico. As a child she learned the ways of her people: grinding corn, weaving yarn, making brooms, and finding medicinal herbs. She listened to stories, became adept at her native language, and, once Indigenous children were allowed to attend school, learned Spanish as well. After her father was killed in the Mexican Revolution, the family moved to Mexico City, where Luz posed for artists (Diego Rivera among them) and informed scholars about Nahua culture and language. Amescua's spare yet lyrical text reminds readers that Luz was a "child of the flower-song people, /... who lost their land, but who did not disappear." She also notes the harsh treatment Luz endured at government schools designed to stifle Indigenous culture. Tonatiuh's signature Mixtec-inspired art is a delight. Outlined characters appear in profile, with ovoid-shaped heads and ears resembling the number three, and he often uses collaged textures to color in the images. The referenced flowers appear often, unifying the spreads. Additionally, Luz's traditional stories are depicted as outlined carvings in the mountainous landscape and seem to emanate from Luz's mouth somewhat like a speech balloon. Appended with generous back matter, this is a worthy and overdue look at a woman often called "the soul of Mexico."--Kay Weisman
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Weisman, Kay. "Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 22, Aug. 2021, pp. 44+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A689976782/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fc50204d. Accessed 20 Dec. 2022.