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Reviewed by:
  • Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth by Duncan Tonatiuh
  • Deborah Stevenson, Editor
Tonatiuh, Duncan Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth; ad. and illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams,
2020 [40p]
Trade ed. ISBN 9781419746772 $16.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9781647001544 $15.29
Reviewed from digital galleys R* 6-9 yrs

The creation of humanity was no easy matter, apparently; the Mesoamerican gods kept trying but ended up with mountains, or fish, or birds instead. Fortunately, Quetzalcóatl, Feathered Serpent, refused to give up and decided to travel to the underworld to get the bones to make one last try at creating humans. With the help of Xólotl, the dog spirit guide, Feathered Serpent negotiates nine terrifying regions that offer obstacles ranging from extreme cold to heart-eating jaguars, ending up in front of the god of the underworld. Feathered Serpent passes the test of the bones' guardian and engages in some necessary trickery, eventually managing to get away with the bones that, when combined with the blood of the gods, finally managed to become humanity. Tonatiuh efficiently compacts the complicated story into a short space, and while there's a listlike quality to the regions Feathered Serpent must traverse, there's room for a reader-aloud to ramp up the drama, especially the gruesome elements, or just let the austerity of the narration fill the room. Tonatiuh's familiar flat-perspective digitally collaged illustrations are particularly strong on the designerly element here, ranging from the playful worm endpapers (worms perform a key role in defeating the god of the underworld) to the rhythmic elegance of the silhouetted fish and birds. An author's note explains more about the creation myth; a glossary helps with pronunciation of the Nahuatl names; a selected biography in English and Spanish is included. [End Page 54]

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