Books with author JANE HARPER

Need a recipe for bedtime? An adorable baby and a creative big sister are happy to show you the steps.Take one sleepy baby and add an amusing assortment of bedtime rituals, involving ten tasty toes, a tossing of blankie and pillows, and a drizzling of binkies. Mix in one very helpful big sister for a foolproof, sound-asleep baby and a night of sweet dreams.

Many of these seventeen short tales deriving from Mesoamerican mythology are traditional and have traveled through time among the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America. A few are contemporary and seem to originate with Nahuatl-speaking descendants of the Aztecs. All of them, however, grace the pages here in lively fashion for young readers nine and up.Many middle schools include Aztec and Mayan myths in their curricula, but the selection is narrow, the sources scattered, and the stories themselves usually undeveloped, even fragmentary. Most of the stories are found only in scholarly works far beyond the grasp of young readers. Now, enlarging upon the mythology that frames the decision making of her young adult hero and heroine in Delfino’s Journey and Teresa’s Journey, Jo Harper fleshes out tales of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca for fourth through sixth graders. Young readers will also meet the Jaguar Sun, the Snake Woman, and the Pepper Man.To be as faithful as possible to the pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican worldview and humor of the original tales, Harper consulted closely with indigenous Nahuatl speakers and cultural anthropologists, yet her delivery has all the freshness and polish of a practiced storyteller who knows her audience. Here then for young readers and their teachers is an engaging introduction to Mesoamerican mythology and to an oral tradition worth preserving well beyond the classroom.Part One: Quetzalcoatl and TezcaBirth of the Fifth SunWho Will Be the People?Corn MountainWho Can Teach the People?Music Is BornQuetzalcoatl FallsTezca Shows His PowerMaster LogThe Pepper ManTezca’s MusicPart Two: Tricks and MistakesThe Thunder Spirits’ New CookThe Buzzard HusbandRafael Outsmarts the NahualLalito and the NahualThe Devil’s CaveThe Possum’s TaleChioconejo Rabbit and Coyote

Need a recipe for bedtime? An adorable baby and a creative big sister are happy to show you the steps.Take one sleepy baby and add an amusing assortment of bedtime rituals, involving ten tasty toes, a tossing of blankie and pillows, and a drizzling of binkies. Mix in one very helpful big sister for a foolproof, sound-asleep baby and a night of sweet dreams.

Jo Harper’s exquisite tale of an Aztec youth who crosses the Rio Grande with Salvador, his simple but intuitive cousin, weaves Aztec legend, culture, and tonali (fate) into a poignant tapestry of illegal immigration, indomitability, and the precarious promise of a new life.Besides his native Nahuatl, sixteen-year-old Delfino speaks Spanish, which he learned working in Mexico City. He is driven to help his married sister, who at eighteen seems too small and frail to survive her pregnancy. Teresa has lost one child, and Delfino knows Teresa’s chance to have her baby in a hospital depends upon his crossing the river from Mexico into Texas, the land of promise.Achingly drawn, Harper’s characters fill a harsh world with loving and gentle sensibilities. A masterful story of suspense and triumph.

Want a foolproof plan for mealtime? An adorable baby and his creative big sister offer their unique "recipes."Follow these easy tips for a fun- filled meal: squeeze Baby in high chair and line tray with toys; add pasta and other ingredients (don't let the foods touch); wipe off Baby and return to floor. Serve dessert at once for one sweet Baby Bundt!

Need instructions for playtime fun? An adorable baby and his creative big sister offer their unique "recipes."For perfect playtimes, take one very busy Baby Bundt and transfer to the park. Fill a pail with sand, flip over, and flatten with Baby. Put Baby on rocket (be careful taking off), and add more and more toys. Whip down the slide, and voila! One giggling Baby Bundt.