Opuestos

Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish
By Cynthia Weill, Martín Santiago, Quirino Santiago

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:

    • 7
      Mexican Folk Art Series
      Collection of 7 books: $94.65

      Opuestos

      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!

      ABeCedarios

      A bilingual ABC book featuring beautiful, vibrant photographs of hand-carved animals from Oaxaca, Mexico.

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

      Vámonos

      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.

      Let's Work!

      From Puebla, Mexico, come adorable miniature palm weavings of people at work that invite children to learn about occupations in English and Spanish.

      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.

      Count Me In!

      Handcrafted clay figures from Oaxaca, Mexico, invite children to join a parade as they count from one to ten in English and Spanish.

      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.

      Colores de la vida

      Imaginatively colored and adorned animals handcrafted in Oaxaca, Mexico, help teach children a rainbow of colors in English and Spanish.

      Animales adornados y de colores imaginativos hechos a mano en Oaxaca, México, ayudan a enseñar a los niños un arcoíris de colores en inglés y español.

      Animal Talk

      From Oaxaca, Mexico, come vibrant wood carvings of animals that invite children to learn animal sounds in English and Spanish.

      Desde Oaxaca, México, vienen vibrantes tallados en madera de animales que invitan a los niños a aprender los sonidos de los animales en inglés y español.

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    • 37
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      Opuestos

      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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      ABeCedarios

      A bilingual ABC book featuring beautiful, vibrant photographs of hand-carved animals from Oaxaca, Mexico.

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

      Counting Pumpkins

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      Drummer Boy of John John

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      Juanito Counts to Ten

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      Jump Rope

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      474 in stock

    • 53
      Summer Reading Collection
      Collection of 53 books: $765.35

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      Maximilian & the Lucha Libre Club is the third book in Xavier Garza's award-winning series Max's Lucha Libre Adventures. Sixth-grader Max joins the Lucha Libre Club. Grab your masks and let the action begin! POW!

      Maximilian & the Lucha Libre Club es el tercer libro de la galardonada serie Max's Lucha Libre Adventures por Xavier Garza. Max, estudiante de sexto grado, se une al Club de Lucha Libre. ¡Ponganse sus máscaras y que empiece la acción! ¡POW!

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      Maximilian & la revancha de la lotería es el segundo libro de la galardonada serie Max's Lucha Libre Adventures por Xavier Garza. Las tías viejitas de Maximilian pelean por el trofeo de Reina de la Lotería mientras su novia y la chica nueva luchan por el corazón de Max.

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      Monica Brown, exitosa autora, nos lleva a un viaje mágico en la vida de generaciones de mujeres creativas en su familia en este libro bilingüe bellamente ilustrado.

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      Maximilian & la madición del Ángel Cáido es el cuarto libro de la galardonada serie Max's Lucha Libre Adventures por Xavier Garza. Max batalla con la peor tragedia de su vida: ¡su héroe acaba de anunciar su ultima pelea como el rey de la lucha libre!

      The Story of Olympic Diver Sammy Lee

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      Speculation

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      Snitchers

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      Un libro bilingüe del abecedario que te pone al corriente del chisme divertido del vecindario!

      Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña

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