A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters

In Tonatiuh’s engaging picture book, a Mexihcah child describes intricate wordless volumes created in Mesoamerica before the arrival of Europeans, interweaving Nahuatl words defined in a glossary: “Our parents are tlahcuilohqueh, painters of words. The amoxtin they make tell the stories of our gods, our history, our people.” Riveting spreads detail the objects’ format and make, ample studies behind their content and symbology (“religion, astronomy, warfare, and history”), as well as social norms around their reading, by “only noblemen, priests, and wise elders.” Through a dream sequence, subsequent pages delve into the books’ rich contents, including central deities and methods of governance, calendaring, and healing, all shown in richly hued art that mimics the codices’ detailed format, and leading to a contextualizing author’s note that describes colonizing forces’ devastating effect. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)