Written by Tato Laviera
Illustrated by Gabhor Utomo
Translated by Gabriela Baeza Ventura
- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Pinata Books; Bilingual edition (October 31, 2017)
- Language: English/ Spanish
- ISBN-10: 1558858555
A young Mayan
prince goes on an exciting journey
through the
rainforest in this bilingual picture book.
From his perch high up on a mountaintop, a
young Mayan prince watched as raindrops formed in the clouds below him.
Suddenly, within each drop, there was a child! The raindrop children landed
gently on the ground and Mayanito raced down the mountainside to play with
them. They were from Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica and other countries in the
Americas, but as the sun warmed the land, they evaporated and turned into
flowers!
Mayanito was sad to lose his friends, so he
decided to go find them. Thankfully, the animals of the jungle including
Pablito the snake, Teresa the crocodile and Rafael the jaguar helped him. In
this adventurous romp through the rainforest, monkeys pulled him from quicksand
and carried him over a waterfall in a hammock made of vines! Riding on a
flamingo's back, he landed in the village far below his mountaintop home and
finally found his new friends. Together, they rode an inchworm train back up
the mountain. And when Mayanito was named king, he declared all the children of
the hemisphere members of his tribe!
Gabhor Utomo's gorgeous illustrations of the
lush rainforest, its flora and fauna complement the boy's fantastical journey
in this bilingual picture book for children ages 5-10. Parents and teachers
will find this beautiful book provides a good introduction to basic concepts of
jungle creatures, geography and even musical instruments from different
regions.
TATO LAVIERA (1952-2013) was a poet,
playwright, novelist and community advocate. Born in Puerto Rico, he was raised
in the Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His books include Mixturao and Other Poems;
Mainstream Ethics; AmeRícan; Enclave, winner of the American Book Award; and La
Carreta Made a U-Turn. His plays have been produced in Chicago and New York
City, and have been staged at The New Federal Theater, The Public Theater, the
Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Circle in the Square and Teatro Cuatro. He
lived and worked in New York City until his death. Mayanito’s New Friends / Los
amigos de Mayanito is his only children’s book.
GABHOR
UTOMO was born in Indonesia, and received his degree from the Academy of Art
University in San Francisco in 2003. He has illustrated a number of children’s
books, including Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain (East West Discovery Press,
2004), a story about a young Chinese immigrant held on Angel Island. Gabhor’s
works has won numerous awards from local and national art organizations. His
painting of Senator Milton Marks is part of a permanent collection at the
California State Building in downtown San Francisco. He lives with his family
in Portland, Oregon.
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