Books in First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series

Did you know that animals that live in one country don't always talk the same language as animals from somewhere else? Take a rooster, for instance. In English-speaking countries, he says cock-a-doodle-doo when he has a notion to announce himself or to greet the dawn. But in Spanish-speaking countries, he says ki-kiri-ki. Emerging readers will delight in identifying the animals depicted on each new page. And the bilingual text invites parent and child into an interactive and playful reading experience for acting out animal sounds in English and Spanish.Craftsman Rubí Fuentes and Efraín Broa from the Mexican state of Oaxaca fill the pages of Animal Talk with vibrant, wildly imaginative figures of familiar animals.Animal Talk is the fifth book in Cynthia Weill's charming First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series. It is her passion to promote the work of artisans from around the world through early concept books.

Every ABC book worth its cover price is bound to have bright colors and big letters. But not every ABC book has magical hand-carved animals to illustrate every letter. And very few alphabet books present those letters in more varieties than English! Very few alphabet books except the ABeCedarios, that is! In this brightly colored book, the alphabet is presented in both Spanish and English, and includes the four additional letters—and whimsical animals—that make the Spanish alphabet so much fun.The famous folk artists, brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez, carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios. Working with their wives and children in the beautiful village of Arrazola in Oaxaca, Mexico, they carved and painted each enchanting animal by hand. For many centuries, people in Oaxaca have carved wood to make toys and household objects. However, it was Moisés and Armando’s grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures. Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving. K. B. Basseches is an artist, photographer, and art educator. She was an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Art Education, and served as a staff photographer at the Smithsonian Institution in the Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Basseches has exhibited throughout the mid-Atlantic region and in the Los Angeles area. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her young son and husband.Todos los libros del alfabeto tienen colores brillantes y letras grandes. Pero no cada libro del alfabeto tiene animales mágicos tallados a mano para ilustrar cada letra. ¡Y muy pocos libros del alfabeto presentan esas letras en más idiomas que ingles! Muy pocos ¡excepto por ABeCedarios! En este libro vibrante, el alfabeto es presentado en ambo español e ingles, e incluye las cuatro letras adicionales en el alfabeto de español. . Los hermanos Moisés and Armando Jiménez tallaron las figuras de animales maravillosas que ilustran cada letra en ABeCedarios. Trabajando con sus esposas e hijos, meticulosamente pintaron a mano cada animal encantador. Las familias Jiménez viven y trabajan en el hermoso pueblo de montaña de Arrazola, Oaxaca.

“A beautiful, playful, child-centric approach to language learning—and if it spawns conversations about dialects, so much the better.”—Kirkus“This interactive picture book is sure to be a young crowd-pleaser and storytime favorite.” —School Library JournalRubí Fuentes is the daughter and apprentice of a famous Oaxacan woodcarver. Oddly, she met Efraín Broa in Atlanta, GA, during a demonstration of her technique. They fell in love and returned to Oaxaca where she taught her new husband the art of carving. It took two years of patient work to fill these pages with vibrant, wildly imaginative figures of familiar animals.

“It’s hard to take one’s eyes off this book, the wood sculptures are so appealing, so re-readings are probable.”—Chicago Tribune“Direct and charming.”— Publishers Weekly“This second work by the author of ABeCedarios follows its predecessor's highly praised concept and design.”— KirkusBrothers Martín and Quirino, along with other family members, carved these figures from the wood of the flowering jacaranda tree. All are farmers but supplement their income carving these beautiful creatures in the little mountain town of La Union Tejalapam, Oaxaca.

“Each page captures a sense of wonder, of the vibrancy of color, the imagination of the artist, the name of the hue. Colors take life in this small picture book, perfect for small hands, in an astonishing pairing of visual intimacy and artistic joy that make this one of the most distinctive recent books on color—in English or otherwise.” —Papertigers.orgThis book truly did take a village of artists, scattered all around mountain villages in the beautiful state of Oaxaca. Fifteen in fact! Go to our website to see who carved what lovely animal. And, please, imagine the adventurous Cindy Weill traipsing from village to village in search of these wonderful artisans. Este libro tomó el trabajo de toda una comunidad de artistas, esparcidos por los pueblos de las montañas del hermoso estado de Oaxaca. Tomó quince artistas, de hecho! Ve a nuestro sitio para ver quien esculpió cada bonito animal. Y, por favor, imagina a la intrépida Cindy Weill paseando de pueblo a pueblo en búsqueda de estos maravillosos artesanos y artesanas.

"The details traditional Oaxacan artist Canseco Zárate includes charm as fully as Weill's crunchy vocabulary. . . ¡tan lindo!"—Kirkus Reviews"Zárate's sculptures exude personality."—Publishers WeeklyWelcome to the family! It's just like yours, right? But maybe there's something a little bit different about this bunch.Cynthia Weill Mi Familia is Weill's fifth book featuring the folk art of Oaxaca. She is the Director of the Bank Street Center for Childrens' Literature.Jesus Canseco Zárate is a Oaxacan folk artist known for his elaborate papier-mache calacas. In 2008, he won first prize in the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art completion for young artists.

“[An] irresistible bilingual picture book for those still learning their numbers It’s darling.” — San Antonio Express-News“[T]his peek into Mexico’s art and traditions is certainly one of the most joyous counting books that children will encounter.”— Kirkus“[A] fine bilingual counting book beautiful, creative, and sometimes whimsical.” — School Library Journal“Weill returns with another joyous celebration of Mexican folk art.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s BooksThe Aguilar Sisters, lively and independent women, are Mexico’s most renowned artisans. They learned how to make clay figurines from their mother, Isaura Álcantara Diaz. Their humorous sculptures of village characters are in collections around the world.

Welcome to the family! It's just like yours: father, mother, sister, brother, abuelita, gato, even a great-great grandmother. Well, but there's something just a little bit different about this particular family. Maybe it's those clothes they wear . . . just a little bit fashion backward. And the colors! So vibrant and . . . lively. Maybe that's what it is. They are just so full of life while looking almost other worldly.¡Bienvenidos a la familia! Es justo como la tuya: papá, mamá, hermana, hermano, abuelita, gato, hasta un a vis-abuela. Pero hay algo un poco diferente sobre esta familia. Tal vez es la su ropa…es un poco anticuada. Y los colores! Tan vibrantes y…vivos. Tal vez eso es, solo están llenos de vida, al mismo tiempo pareciendo de otro mundo. Cynthia Weill's bilingual collaboration with artist Jesus Canseco Zarate teaches young readers basic information about relationships, while also celebrating the colorful tradition of Mexico's Day of the Dead. Canseco Zarate long-limbed sculptures are a playful twist on traditional Mexican iconography of the skeleton that stretches back through the country's art history to José Guadalupe Posada's engravings and Aztec sculpture.La colaboración bilingüe entre autora Cynthia Weill y artista Jesus Cnaseco Zarate le enseña a lectores jóvenes información básica sobre familias, al mismo tiempo celebrando la tradición colorida del Día de Muertos. Las esculturas de brazos largos de Canseco Zarate le dan un toque juguetón a la iconografía Mexicana tradicional del esqueleto, que se ve a lo largo de la historia artística del país, hasta los grabados de José Guadalupe Posada, y las esculturas Aztecas. Cynthia Weill holds a master’s degree from Wesleyan University in Art History and a Doctorate in Education from Teachers College Columbia. While working on her dissertation at Columbia, Cynthia collaborated with artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico to create the folk art pieces that became the successful First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series. She is currently the director of the Center for Children’s Literature at the Bank Street College of Education.Cythia Weill tiene una maestría de Historia del Arte de Wesleyan University, y un doctorado de Educación del Colegio de Maestros de Columbia University. Durante su tiempo trabajando en su tesis en Columbia, Cynthia colaboró con artesanos y artesanas de Oaxaca, México, para crear las piezas que se fueron después presentadas en la exitosa serie, Primeros Conceptos en Artesanía Mexicana. Actualmente es la directora del Centro para Literatura Infantil en el Colegio de Educación Bank Street..Jesus Canseco Zarate is a young Oaxacan folk artist whose medium of choice is paper mâché. In 2008 he won first prize in the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art completion for young artists.Jesús Canseco Zárate es un artesano de Oaxaca conocido por sus complejas calacas de papel maché. En el 2008, ganó el primer premio en la competición de Amigos de Artesanía de Oaxaca para artistas jóvenes.

“Each page captures a sense of wonder, of the vibrancy of color, the imagination of the artist, the name of the hue. Colors take life in this small picture book, perfect for small hands, in an astonishing pairing of visual intimacy and artistic joy that make this one of the most distinctive recent books on color—in English or otherwise.” —Papertigers.orgThis book truly did take a village of artists, scattered all around mountain villages in the beautiful state of Oaxaca. Fifteen in fact! Go to our website to see who carved what lovely animal. And, please, imagine the adventurous Cindy Weill traipsing from village to village in search of these wonderful artisans.Este libro tomó el trabajo de toda una comunidad de artistas, esparcidos por los pueblos de las montañas del hermoso estado de Oaxaca. Tomó quince artistas, de hecho! Ve a nuestro sitio para ver quien esculpió cada bonito animal. Y, por favor, imagina a la intrépida Cindy Weill paseando de pueblo a pueblo en búsqueda de estos maravillosos artesanos y artesanas.

Practice your numbers in English and Spanish when you count the beautiful dancers, playful musicians, and happy children of Oaxaca as the Guelaguetza parade goes by! Pronounced Gal-a-get-zah, the lively celebration—full of traditional dancing and music—takes place every July deep in the heart of southern Mexico. ONE band leader with a big white balloon! DOS hombres with firecrackers! THREE musicians! FOUR giants! All exquisitely handcrafted by the Mexican folk art masters Guillermina, Josefina, Irene, and Concepción Aguilar, in collaboration with author and scholar Cynthia Weill. Bienvenidos! Welcome to the parade!Cynthia Weill is a professor and mentor to teachers at Columbia University's Teachers College. She also owns a non-profit—Aid to Women Artisans—that promotes the craftwork of artisans from developing countries. Count Me In is her fourth book in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art Series.The Aguilar Sisters are Mexico's most beloved artisans. They learned how to make clay figurines from their mother Doña Isaura. These lively independent women are considered great masters of Mexican folk art and have been visited by Queen Elizabeth, Queen Sofia of Spain, various Mexican presidents, and Nelson Rockefeller. Their humorous ceramics of the people of their town and state are in museum collections the world over.

"Featuring vibrant wooden sculptures by a Oaxacan family of artists, this primer offers up animals both familiar ('the flamingo/ el flamenco') and unusual, such as the nutria and vicuña, 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."—Publishers Weekly"The sculpted figures display personality and enough vibrant energy to leap off the pages."—School Library JournalABeCedarios is the first book in Cynthia Weill's beloved First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series, now in a sturdy board book edition.

Cynthia Weill scores again with an early concept book that bring every kind of job to life, including the work of the dedicated palm weavers of Flavio Gallardo’s workshop, whose miniature palm weavings illustrate this playful book, teaching children words for work in two languages. The weavers live in the village of Chigmecatitlán in the Mixteca part of the Mexican state of Puebla. With tremendous skill and patience, the artisans of this region practice palm weaving, a craft which came to Mexico even before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 15th century. Imagine being able to hold all of the illustrations in one book in the palms of your hands. You can do that with the tiny weavings in Let’s Work. Most pieces are no larger than a dime! Cynthia Weill una vez más triunfa con un libro de primeros conceptos que trae a toda clase de trabajo a vida, incluyendo el trabajo de los tejedores de palmas del taller de Flavio Gallardo, cuyas tejidas de palma ilustran este alegre libro, enseñándole palabras sobre el trabajo a niños, en dos lenguas. Los tejedores viven en el pueblo de Chigmecatitlán en la parte Mixteca del pueblo mexicano de Puebla. Con estupenda habilidad y paciencia, los artesanos de esta región practican el tejido de palmas, un arte que vino a México antes que siquiera vinieran los españoles en el siglo 15. Imagina poder tener en tus manos todas las ilustraciones, en un solo libro. Puedes hacer esto con los tejidos minúsculos en Vamos a Trabajar! La gran parte de las piezas no son más grande que una moneda!