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Magic Windows: Ventanas Magicas

Name: Magic Windows: Ventanas Magicas
Author: Carmen Lomas Garza
ISBN: 9780892391837

by Carmen Lomas Garza, David Schecter (Editor), Carmen Lomas Garza (Illustrator), Francisco X. Alarcon

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Overview

Through the magic windows of her cut-paper art, Garza shows us her family, her life as an artist, and the legends of her Aztec past. In her third book, Magic Windows/Ventanas mágicas, Carmen Lomas Garza takes readers on a fascinating journey that explores her family, community, and ancestors through the traditional folk art form of papel picado (cut-paper art). Children catch a glimpse of the hummingbirds that carry the souls of the ancestors; look into the artist's studio and see her paint a Mexican jarabe tapatío dancer; and watch her teach her nieces and nephews how to make their own magic windows. The textis in Spanish and English.

In Spanish and English, Carmen Lomas Garza portrays her family's Mexican customs through cut-paper work.

Synopsis

Through the magic windows of her cut-paper art (papel picado), Carmen Lomas Garza reveals her family, her life as an artist, and the legends of her Aztec past. Readers catch a glimpse of the hummingbirds that carry the souls of ancestors and persist in crossing the Mexican-American border to taste the sweet nectar of the cactus flowers; they look into Garza's studio and see her paint a Mexican jarabe tapatio dancer; and they watch her teach her nieces and nephews how to make their own magic windows in this fascinating exploration of Mexican family life, community, and history.

Hungry Mind Review

This unique art form engages the eye as the author uses the bilingual text to [delve] into the deeper historical or cultural meaning behind its creation.

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Editorials

Hungry Mind Review

This unique art form engages the eye as the author uses the bilingual text to [delve] into the deeper historical or cultural meaning behind its creation.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-A collection of full-page reproductions of Lomas Garza's papel picado, cut-paper art, accompanied by short explanatory narratives in Spanish and English. The intricate cutouts have bold, thick lines and severe angles and the artist uses delicate connectors, such as cactus spines and corn silk, to hold the images together. Most of the cutouts are done with black paper, although a few are cut from yellow or blue paper, and all of them feature a generous use of negative space through which monochromatic backgrounds of yellows, blues, pinks, oranges, and greens are revealed. Many of the pictures present scenes of the Mexican-American artist's childhood and family, such as a close-up of her grandfather's hands cutting a nopal cactus. The remainder are scenes of Mexican flora and fauna, such as two hummingbirds drinking nectar from cactus flowers. A brief description accompanies each scene. Although the cutouts successfully demonstrate Lomas Garza's considerable artistic skill, the presentation is not entirely effective. The reproductions appear flat, making them look more like computer-generated art than fragile paper cutouts. The book can best be used and most fully appreciated in conjunction with a hands-on introduction to the art form.-Denise E. Agosto, formerly at Midland County Public Library, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Hungry Mind Review

This unique art form engages the eye as the author uses the bilingual text to [delve] into the deeper historical or cultural meaning behind its creation.