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Overview
The Honey Jar retells the ancient stories Rigoberta Menchú's grandparents told her when she was a little girl, and we can imagine her listening to them by the fire at night. These Mayan tales include natural phenomena narratives and animal stories. The underworld, the sky, the sun and moon, plants, people, animals, gods, and demigods are all players in these vibrant stories. Enchanting images by Domi draw on the Mayan landscape and the rich visual vocabulary that can be found in the weavings and crafts for which the Maya are renowned.
Synopsis
The Honey Jar retells the ancient stories Rigoberta Menchú's grandparents told her when she was a little girl, and we can imagine her listening to them by the fire at night. These Mayan tales include natural phenomena narratives and animal stories. The underworld, the sky, the sun and moon, plants, people, animals, gods, and demigods are all players in these vibrant stories. Enchanting images by Domi draw on the Mayan landscape and the rich visual vocabulary that can be found in the weavings and crafts for which the Maya are renowned.
Della A. Yannuzzi - Children's Literature
This author is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Mayan activist who retells the ancient stories her grandparents told her when she was a child. There are twelve stories in this collection dealing with animal tales, the sun and moon, plants, people, and gods. Some of their titles are: "The Amazing Twins," "The Story of the Weasel Who Helped People Find Corn," "The Keepers of the Earth," and "Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun Were Bored." In this latter story, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon are very sad. Although Grandfather Sun loves Grandmother Moon, he feels something is missing, so together they create stars from the four hundred boys that appear in the sacred book, The Popul Vuh. But soon they are bored watching the stars, so they decide to have them speak, but the stars do not say a word. So Grandfather Sun makes a sunspot explode, and then he bumps into the stars and they become meteorites. But still they are bored. They decide to create two spirits who would give them happiness. One is named The Heart of Heaven and The Heart of Earth. Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun are so happy that they form a large circle with the stars and dance all day long. The illustrations in this book are done by a native Mexican artist named Domi. They are colorful and symbolic of Mayan folktales. Back matter includes a glossary of Mayan words. Older children will enjoy reading these magical stories. 2002, Groundwood Books, Ages 10 up.
Editorials
Children's Literature
This author is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Mayan activist who retells the ancient stories her grandparents told her when she was a child. There are twelve stories in this collection dealing with animal tales, the sun and moon, plants, people, and gods. Some of their titles are: "The Amazing Twins," "The Story of the Weasel Who Helped People Find Corn," "The Keepers of the Earth," and "Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun Were Bored." In this latter story, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon are very sad. Although Grandfather Sun loves Grandmother Moon, he feels something is missing, so together they create stars from the four hundred boys that appear in the sacred book, The Popul Vuh. But soon they are bored watching the stars, so they decide to have them speak, but the stars do not say a word. So Grandfather Sun makes a sunspot explode, and then he bumps into the stars and they become meteorites. But still they are bored. They decide to create two spirits who would give them happiness. One is named The Heart of Heaven and The Heart of Earth. Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun are so happy that they form a large circle with the stars and dance all day long. The illustrations in this book are done by a native Mexican artist named Domi. They are colorful and symbolic of Mayan folktales. Back matter includes a glossary of Mayan words. Older children will enjoy reading these magical stories. 2002, Groundwood Books, Ages 10 up.—Della A. Yannuzzi