"A is for…Children can learn their alphabet (in two languages) as well as get an introduction to an array of unique animals in ABeCedarios. "
"A is for…Children can learn their alphabet (in two languages) as well as get an introduction to an array of unique animals in ABeCedarios.
Featuring vibrant wooden sculptures by a Oaxacan family of artists, the primer offers up animals both familiar ('the flamingo/ el flamenco') and unusual, such as the nutria and vicuna, for each letter of the alphabet, as well as for uniquely Spanish sounds, such as 'll,' 'ñ' and 'rr.' The highly saturated color backdrops and stunning sculptures should win over readers of all ages."
- January 7, 2008
"An outstanding alphabet book, this is highly recommended for all libraries and bookstores."
"Seemingly the typical alphabet book with large type, this volume stands out for its artwork: gorgeous animal wood sculptures created in Oaxaca. Every letter is illustrated with a full-page photograph of a colorful hand-carved animal whose name either begins with or includes that letter.
Weill displays the English and Spanish names below the image and include notes on a few of the letters, such as in the 'ch' and 'll', which are no longer part of the Spanish alphabet, and the 'rr', which is a commonly used sound yet not part of the ABC’s. Also mentioned is the 'ñ', which belongs only to the Spanish language and is used to spell vicuña (one of the few unfamiliar animals, along with wapiti).
An outstanding alphabet book, this is highly recommended for all libraries and bookstores."
"Highly recommended; even adults will enjoy lingering over the unique animal artistry."
"ABeCedarios is a bilingual English/Spanish ABC book featuring photography of stunningly beautiful carved wooden figures of animals, done in the Oaxacan tradition by sculptors Moises and Armando Jimenez. There is a carved animal for each letter of the alphabet (including the letters unique to the Spanish alphabet, such as n with a tilde), in this colorful and inventive way for teaching a young child their ABCs.
Highly recommended; even adults will enjoy lingering over the unique animal artistry."
The Santa Fe New Mexican Magazine
"Children’s books with Spanish and English text side-by-side are not uncommon, but this one has an extra treat: photos of animal carvings by a well-known family from Oaxaca, Mexico...lovely and colorful creatures that add charm to the book. Certainly something to catch a child's eye."
"Children’s books with Spanish and English text side-by-side are not uncommon, but this one has an extra treat: photos of animal carvings by a well-known family from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Each photo by K.B. Basseches takes up the whole page and the text by Cynthia Weill is the name of each animal. Some translate letter-for-letter, as in 'the coyote-el coyote', others translate through letter shifts ('the buffalo-el búfalo') while others are more complex ('the turtle-la tortuga', 'the snake-la serpiente'). Some of the animals are exotic ('the quetzal-el quetzal', a tropical bird). And a couple names don’t translate straight across, as in 'el zorro' for fox, 'el ñu' for gnu and 'el chapulín' for grasshopper. And one animal doesn’t exist: 'the X-el/la X.' Well, do you know an animal that begins with the letter 'X'?
The sculptures were created by the Jiménez family from Mexico, led by brothers Armando and Moisés, grandsons of Manuel Jiménez, who the book credits with starting the carved-animal art. The result is some lovely and colorful creatures that add charm to the book. Certainly something to catch a child's eye.
The book uses three letters that have been removed from the Spanish alphabet: ch ('chapulín'), ll ('llama'), and rr ('zorro'). It's a good bet the letters still are being taught. Otherwise, what would we call La Llorna?"
School Library Journal
"An attractive choice for folk-art study or libraries with large collections of artistic ABC books."
"Gr 2-4- Mexican folk-art figures are the focus of this colorful alphabet book. Each page presents a small Oaxacan woodcarving of an animal done in a rainbow of colors. The only text is the animals' names in Spanish and in English. For example, 'the Dolphin/el Delfín'; 'the Elephant/el Elefante.' The sculpted figures display personality and enough vibrant energy to leap off the pages. Unusual or rare creatures-a hybrid Zedonk, a unicorn, and imaginary 'X' animal-appear as examples in whimsical colors and imaginative patterns. An attractive choice for folk-art study or libraries with large collections of artistic ABC books."
Oaxaca has had a wood carving tradition since long before first contact; the products of this tradition—from sacred to practical to whimsical—have taken the forms of religious statuaries, cooking utensils, household instruments, children’s toys and the like. Fast-forward to the 1950s, when a shepherd named Manuel Jiménez from the town of Arrazola was carving little wood animals while grazing his sheep at Monte Albán. When a white guy who owned a folk art shop in Oaxaca City “discovered” Jiménez and offered to buy everything that he could produce, others started to imitate Jiménez’s style, and the craft spread to San Martín Tilcajete and La Unión.
At about the same time, the opening of the Mexican span of the Pan American Highway brought to Oaxaca an influx of tourists, whom folk art dealers realized would happily purchase both replicas of old carvings and work that had no longstanding cultural traditions. This beginning of the folk art woodcarving practice has brought construction of paved roads, schools and hospitals to the area, and has been an important source of cash income for the woodcarvers and their families. And it’s one of the crafts that have made the state of Oaxaca world famous.
Weill, an English teacher who is fluent in Spanish, spent a Fulbright Teacher Exchange year in Mexico City and travelled to Oaxaca on weekends. Initially drawn to its abundance of crafts, she later enrolled in a doctoral program, researching intercultural collaboration in folk art production—and what would result if artisans created what pleased them rather than what might appeal to potential buyers. She also wanted a platform, as she told me, to showcase the work of the artists and artisans in ways that would recognize their unique talents.
Weill’s academic work eventually became a cross-cultural collaborative art project with several folk art producing families in Oaxaca. If a project were to be collaborative as well as cross-cultural, Weill would find out, she would have to give up a lot of control and become “joined at the hip” with the families with whom she worked. And everyone would have an equal voice.
One of the results of this collaboration is a series of five adorable bilingual concept books that introduce the littlest learners to the alphabet, colors, counting, opposites, and animal sounds. Anyone who is able to sit still for a moment will thoroughly enjoy the brightly colored- and -patterned wooden animalitos, on highly saturated backgrounds that bring to mind the texture of plastered walls.
By Cynthia Weill, with artists Armando Jiménez and Moisés Jiménez
The first in the series, ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art in English and Spanish, features well known animals (“the Elephant / el Elefante”), and rare (“the Quetzal / el Quetzal”), and imaginary ones (“the Unicorn / el Unicornio”), and one that is as yet “undiscovered” (the mysterious “X / el/la X,” a winged creature that breathes fire); as well as animals for which there are uniquely Spanish sounds (“el Chapulín” to demonstrate “ch,” “la Llama,” to show “ll,” “el Ñu” or “gnu,” and “el Zorro,” to depict “rr”).
Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
By Cynthia Weill, with artists Martín Santiago and Quirino Santiago
The second work, Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish, depicts contrasting concepts on opposing pages (“asleep / dormido” and “awake / despierto”), sometimes depicting the same animal (“inside / adentro” and “outside / afuera” the frame) and sometimes showing a different animal or insect: The opposing concepts “high / alto” and “low / bajo,” show a butterfly on the upper left corner of the left page, while a dog, on the center of the right page, looks hungrily up at it; in another spread, two almost identical dogs, one with a “long / larga” tail faces one with a “short / corta” tail.
Colores de la Vida: Mexican Folk Art Colors in English and Spanish
By Cynthia Weill, with artists Rubí Fuentes, Efraín Broa, María Jiménez, Jesús Sosa, Angélica Vasquez, Carlomagno Pedro Martínez, Eleazar Morales, René Mandarín, Eloy Santiago, José Miguel Pacheco Agüero and María Jiménez
In the third librito, Colores de la Vida: Mexican Folk Art Colors in English and Spanish, the animals—done in different techniques this time—are mostly displayed on background colors that correspond to the animals themselves. So, for instance, two purple bunnies (with orange carrots, which add some contrast and realism) sit on and opposing a “purple / morado” background, and a glorious orange lion (with a full mane and what appear to be actual orange slices as ears and eyes) sits on an “orange / anaranjado” background. I especially like the question at the end (with a cow and her calf on a green background and the lettering on a blue background): Can you say all the colors in Spanish? / ¿Puedes nombrar todos los colores en inglés?
Unlike the others, Count Me In! A Parade of Mexican Folk Art Numbers in English and Spanish features all humans, decked out to participate in a festival called “Guelaguetza,” which is Zapotec for “to share.” Except for the initial two-page spread, which shows a line of people beginning the parade (Here comes the parade! / ¡Aquí viene el desfile!), all of the other illustrations (along with captions that will entice the youngest of listeners) land on the right-hand pages on solid backgrounds with only the numbers 1-10 in English and Spanish. Opposite “four / cuatro,” for instance, is this: The giants are my favorite! See the person wearing the costume peeking through from inside? / ¡A mí me encantan los gigantes! ¿Ves a la persona que lleva el disfraz mirándonos desde adentro?