Opuestos

Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
By Cynthia Weill, Martín Santiago, Quirino Santiago
Paperback: $11.95

Happy hand-painted animals from Oaxaca, Mexico, teach kids about opposites in two languages!

¡Felices animales pintados a mano de Oaxaca, México, enseña a los niños sobre los opuestos en este encantador libro bilingüe!

Description

Cynthia Weill’s book of Mexican folk art introduces young readers to opposites in Spanish and English. These whimsical little animals, carved and painted by hand, make learning about opposites fun. Up and down, tall and short, left and right–all inside a beautiful book.

En este libro de artesanía mexicana, ¡Cynthia Weill le enseña a niños sobre opuestos en español e ingles! Estos animalitos fantasiosos de Oaxaca, tallados y pintados a mano, hacen aprender sobre opuestos divertido. Arriba y abajo, alto y pequeño, izquierda y derecha–todo adentro de un libro encantador.

About the Creators

Cynthia Weill

Cynthia Weill's fascination with the crafts of Oaxaca began while she was working in Mexico as a Fulbright exchange teacher. She has published several books in the Mexican Folk Art series, which features different folk art of Oaxaca. Many of the figures showcased in this series are now part of the permanent Mesoamerican Anthropology collections at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Cindy lives in New York City and can be found online at cynthiaweill.net.

Martín Santiago
Martín Santiago

Martín and Quirino Santiago are brothers who carve wooden figures. The figures in Opuestos were made in La Union Tejalapam, a Oaxacan village that lies in a valley between the mountains of the Sierra Norte. Martín Santiago, a farmer, began carving in the late 1960s and his brother Quirino followed him into the trade soon after.

The figures are made from the wood of the flowering jacaranda tree. After carving the pieces, the artisans paint them with natural aniline dyes. Making the figures requires enormous skill as the artisans work with machetes on small pieces of wood. Quirino and Martín draw inspiration from the world around them. They observe their own livestock such as goats and cows, domestic animals like cats and dogs, and the wild animals they see such as deer and lynx.

Quirino and Martín carved the figures in Opuestos with help from their brother Placido and his sons Calixto and Eloy, their nephew Maximino Santiago, their cousin Julio Jimenez, and Martin's son Jaime.

Quirino Santiago
Quirino Santiago

Awards

  • Blue Ribbon List

    Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Reviews

  • * "This exuberant bilingual book actually makes use of chunking, the cognitive learning theory that groups separate pieces of information into connected units to improve retention. . . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."

    - Library Media Connection
  • "Direct and charming."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "The contrast between the text colors and the bright background combines with the imaginary dialogue that children can establish with the vivacious folk-art figures to make this bilingual edition another outstanding entry in the First Concepts with Mexican Folk Art series. . . A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries."

    - Kirkus Reviews

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781947627680
  • Publication Date Jan 01, 2015
  • Trim Size 7.5 × 7.5 in
  • Weight 0.25 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Art / Sculpture
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / Animals / Apes, Monkeys, etc.
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / Foreign Language Study / Spanish
  • Themes Indigenous / First Nations / Native American, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Nonfiction
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 4 - 6
  • Grade Range Grades PreK - 1
  • Guided Reading A
  • Spanish Guided Reading A
  • DRA 1
  • Interest Level Grades PreK - 1
  • Reading Level K
  • Bebop Reading Early Emergent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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      Un libro ABC bilingüe que presenta hermosas y vibrantes fotografías de animales tallados a mano de Oaxaca, México.

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      Young readers will enjoy this fun and vibrant bilingual introduction to different forms of transportation. This installment in author Cynthia Weill's acclaimed Mexican Folk Art series is a colorful adventure in English and Spanish, illustrated with handmade painted sculptures.

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      Happy hand-painted animals from Oaxaca, Mexico, teach kids about opposites in two languages!

      ¡Felices animales pintados a mano de Oaxaca, México, enseña a los niños sobre los opuestos en este encantador libro bilingüe!

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      Happy hand-painted animals from Oaxaca, Mexico, teach kids about opposites in two languages!

      ¡Felices animales pintados a mano de Oaxaca, México, enseña a los niños sobre los opuestos en este encantador libro bilingüe!

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      Desde Puebla, México, vienen adorables tejidos de palmeras en miniatura de personas en el trabajo que invitan a los niños a aprender sobre ocupaciones en inglés y español.

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      Figuras de barro hechas a mano en Oaxaca, México, invitan a los niños a unirse a un desfile mientras cuentan del uno al diez en inglés y español.

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      In this early chapter book in the popular Confetti Kids series, Henry tries to find a place where he can practice his drums without disturbing his mom.