Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris

By Linda Elovitz Marshall, Elisa Chavarri
Out of Stock

Bilingual English/Spanish. A young Mayan girl isn’t allowed to use her mother’s thread to weave, so with a little ingenuity she discovers how to repurpose plastic bags to create colorful weavings. Based on an actual recycling movement in Guatemala.

Description

Ixchel wants to follow in the long tradition of weaving on backstrap looms, just as her mother, grandmother, and most Mayan women have done for more than two thousand years. But Ixchel’s mother is too busy preparing her weavings for market. If they bring a good price, they will have money to pay for Ixchel’s school and books. And besides, there is not enough extra thread for Ixchel to practice with.

Disappointed, Ixchel first tries weaving with blades of grass, and then with bits of wool, but no one would want to buy the results. As she walks around her village, Ixchel finds it littered with colorful plastic bags. There is nowhere to put all the bags, so they just keep accumulating.

Suddenly, Ixchel has an idea! She collects and washes the plastic bags. Then she cuts each bag into thin strips. Sitting at her loom, Ixchel weaves the plastic strips into a colorful fabric that looks like a beautiful rainbow–just like the weavings of Mayan women before her.

About the Creators

Linda Elovitz Marshall

Linda Elovitz Marshall grew up near Boston, graduated from Barnard College, and raised four children and a flock of sheep on a farm in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is the author of several books for young readers and was inspired to write this story by dear friends and founders of Mayan Hands, an organization of weavers in Guatemala. Marshall lives with her family in Selkirk, New York.

Elisa Chavarri

Elisa Chavarri is a full-time illustrator who graduated with honors from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Classical Animation and minored in Comics. Born in Peru, she now lives with her husband and their daughter, cat, and dog in northern Michigan.

Awards

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild

  • Américas Award Commended Title

    Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reviews

  • "An uplifting offering that would be a wonderful addition to picture book collections and STEAM programs."

    - School Library Journal
  • "A cheerful tale of innovation with strong multicultural ties."

    - Booklist
  • "A buoyant, accessible, if simplified tribute to Mayan weaving."

    - Kirkus Reviews

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9780892393749
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 2016
  • Trim Size 10.55 × 9.01 × 0.35 in
  • Weight 0.9375 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Word Count 1020
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Art
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Recycling & Green Living
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / People & Places / Caribbean & Latin America
  • Themes Bilingual, Collaboration, Conflict resolution, Courage, Cultural Diversity, Education, Environment / Nature, Families, Fiction, Human Impact On Environment / Environmental Sustainability, Imagination, Indigenous / First Nations / Native American, Kindness / Caring, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Leadership, Multiple Ethnicities Represented, Nature / Science, Poverty, Realistic Fiction, Responsibility, Social & Emotional Learning, Social Justice & Activism, STEM / STEAM
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 5 - 9
  • Grade Range Grades K - 4
  • Guided Reading P
  • Spanish Guided Reading O
  • DRA 30
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 580
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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