Musicians of the Sun

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Again offering an imposing visual interpretation of legend, Caldecott Medalist McDermott (Arrow to the Sun) recounts an Aztec tale recorded in the 16th century. As the Lord of the Night laments that the people are spending their lives "in darkness and silence," McDermott captures the god and his symbolic motifs on paper handmade in Mexico, using acrylic fabric paint, opaque ink and oil pastel. The textured artwork comes alive in subtle gradations of deep blues and purples with intricate patterns in sweeping, full-spread scenes that call up Aztec sculpture and temples. When this King of the Gods sends Wind on a mission to the realm of the Sun, to free the four musicians he holds captive, blazing golds, reds and oranges light up the pages in a dramatic shift of palette. Featuring Night as the benevolent "soul of the world" and Sun as a selfish villain (who ultimately does share his light) gives the story an intriguing twist. The liberated musicians (named Red, Blue, Yellow and Green) bring color and joyous sound to the world (and add even more diversity to the paintings). McDermott adds some fresh description to his concise, stately narrative (as when the musicians "curled their toes in the cool earth and began to play"), yet it is surely his sumptuous paintings that command this splendid volume. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

Caldecott Medalist Gerald McDermott has fashioned Musicians of the Sun from an ancient Aztec tale. Wind must battle powerful Sun in order to free four musicians from his greedy grasp and bring color and song to the despairing earth people. McDermott's stylized images, rendered in brilliant acrylics on paper handmade in Mexico, are a perfect complement to this spare, poetic text.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4--A retelling of an Aztec myth fragment in which the deity Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Night, sends Wind to bring the musicians of the Sun to Earth, thus making all things joyful and colorful. McDermott has made several additions such as the weapons of thunder and lightning with which Wind bests the Sun, and he changes the clothing of one of the musicians to blue; the rainbow thus created brings color, as well as music, to the gray world. The language is spare and formal, almost like an invocation, full of dignity and drama. The illustrations, in McDermott's signature cinematic style, are wonderful, with the texture of the handmade paper evoking pre-Columbian codices, and the portrayal of the deities showing a knowledge of Aztec art. The colors, created with fabric paint, opaque inks, and oil pastels, are brilliant and intense. A note gives the history of the myth. The story, "How Music Was Made," appears in Irene Nicholson's adult book Mexican and Central American Mythology (Original Artworks, 1967; o.p.), which may be in some YA collections; a truncated version of it appears in John Bierhorst's The Hungry Woman (Morrow, 1993). Picture-book versions of Aztec myths suitable for sharing with classes are scarce, however, and this one should be welcome, especially since it is dignified enough to use with older children.--Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ

Amy Finnerty

The somber opening lines of Gerald McDermott's new book for children, "Musicians of the Sun," tell us we've left franchised toy territory and stumbled upon something more challenging. At first sight, the book's appeal to children might appear to lie more in its vivid illustrations than in its words....But in addition to its pictures, "Musicians of the Sun" has something irresistible to young readers: It is based on a fragment of Aztec mythology and, reflecting that cruel and passionate culture, it is a complex tale. -- Amy Finnerty, New York Times Book Review