Inspired by a glyph on an ancient Mayan ruin, Burton Albert’s poetic and intriguing tale presents the transformation of the Mayan jungle from day to night through the nightly routine of a powerful jaguar. In the setting sun, raindrops darken into spotted markings and the nightly jaguar begins his journey through the dark jungle as the wind whistles to the monkey’s chatter. As the night ends, he climbs into the canopy at the jungle’s edge, springs into the ocean, and rises again with sun. Inspired by a Mayan myth from A.D. 600-900, Burton Albert shares the enchanting story of the mystical nightly jaguar with children around the world. Paintings by Robert Roth bring his special vision alive as they evoke the mystery of the lordly jaguar’s journey through the night.
The Central American country of Guatemala was populated by the Maya people whose empire extended from Honduras to the south to today's southern Mexico. Remnants of their presence are found throughout this region, with monumental architecture, cities, palaces, and great pyramids. Wherever one looks, the explosion of growth and development captures the viewer in its thrall. Even the many glyphs adorning these sites with their unique writing style are a marvel to behold. They lived here for an estimated two thousand years, and then, in the early 16th century, the Spanish came and conquered these people. By then, their greatness had already ended in the midst of the 10th century, when their culture and civilization collapsed. But they retained their culture by way of thousands of pictographic books which detailed their way of life and their advancements. But the Spaniards, zealous in their Catholicism, sought out and destroyed every such book they could find and burned them all. Except for three such books, known as the Maya Codices. Historians and scholars began the slow process of deciphering the Maya past. Great effort was expended and the reality of their lives, culture, kings, wars and daily practice began to emerge. And the world was astounded by the emerging picture. Perhaps a first in the world, was their mathematical calculation with 'zero,' a phenomenal achievement. Interestingly, the glyph of the zero depicted a woman - what mathematical genius was she to use zero in calculations? Their astronomy of the heavenly spheres was astoundingly precise, as was their knowledge of geometry and trigonometry. Their religion, however, included human sacrifices, following the practice of other nearby civilizations, such as the Aztecs, the Inca in South America, and others. The Spaniards stopped such worship and offerings and now subjugated these people into serfdom called encomiendas, or enforced working for the conquistadors and their descendants. Independence from Spain came in 1821, but the Mayan living conditions did not change. The country became divided between the Spanish descendants, now known as the Criollos, the middle class, known as Ladinos (not to be confused with Jews in 9th century Castilian Spain), and the Maya and other indigenous. The social distance from the upper to lower classes was immense. And that distance came forward during Guatemala's Civil War, from 1960 to 1996. The violence and massacres during this period was so evil, the president of the country, Rios Montt, was charged and convicted of Genocide, the first time a country charged its own leader with this crime. At a previous age and time, the face of Guatemala presented immense achievements. Today, violence, crime, and cultural penury is self-evident. Guatemala is a third-world country, where the majority of its people live in great poverty while the upper class has the land, its abundance and vast wealth.
Theatre of the Sphere is Luis Valdez’s exploration of the principles that underlie his innovations as a playwright, teacher, and theatrical innovator. He discusses the unique aesthetic, more than five decades in the making, that defines the work of his group El Teatro Campesino—from shows staged on the backs of flatbed trucks by the participants in the Delano Grape Strike of the 1960s to international megahits like Zoot Suit. Opening with a history of El Teatro Campesino, rich with Valdez’s insights and remembrances, the book’s first part provides context for the development of the Theatre of the Sphere acting method. The second part delivers the conceptual framework for Valdez’s acting theory and practice, situating it in Mayan mathematics and metaphysics. The third part of the book applies this methodology to describe the "viente pasos," the 20-element exercise sequence that comprises the core practice of El Teatro Campesino—strengthening the body, balance, precision, and flexibility but also leadership, collaboration, observation, vulnerability, trust, and expression of passion; of consciousness of time, place, self, community, language, and belief; of honour, faith, morality, and commitment. The book concludes with the full text of Valdez’s poem, "El Buen Actor/El Mal Actor," and a comprehensive bibliography for further study. This is a vital and indispensable text for today’s actor, as well as scholars and students of contemporary theatre, American and Chicano performance, and the process of theatre-making, actor training, and community performance.
This “extraordinary” novel of one man’s border crossing reveals “a human history of sorrow and suffering, all of it beginning with the thirst to be free” (NPR). Héctor is trapped. The water truck, sealed to hide its human cargo, has broken down. The coyotes have taken all the passengers’ money for a mechanic and have not returned. Héctor finds a name in his friend César’s phone: AnniMac. A name with an American number. He must reach her, both for rescue and to pass along the message César has come so far to deliver. But are his messages going through? Over four days, as water and food run low, Héctor tells how he came to this desperate place. His story takes us from Oaxaca—its rich culture, its rapid change—to the dangers of the border, exposing the tangled ties between Mexico and El Norte. And it reminds us of the power of storytelling and the power of hope, as Héctor fights to ensure his message makes it out of the truck and into the world. Both an outstanding suspense novel and an arresting window into the relationship between two great cultures, The Jaguar’s Children shows how deeply interconnected all of us are. “This is what novels can do—illuminate shadowed lives, enable us to contemplate our own depths of kindness, challenge our beliefs about fate. Vaillant’s use of fact to inspire fiction brings to mind a long list of powerful novels from the past decade or so: What is the What by Dave Eggers; The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif; The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.” —Amanda Eyre Ward, The New York Times Book Review “[A] heartbreaker . . . Wrenching . . . with a voice fresh and plangent enough to disarm resistance.” —The Boston Globe “Fearless.” —The Globe and Mail
With a slender design and appealing art, Cullinan and Galda present a thought provoking discussion on how children can read to respond, read to learn, and read to enjoy. This text provides evaluation criteria for selecting superior children's books, rather than listing thousands of titles and synopses. Booklists direct readers to quality literature, and extended discussions of selected titles demonstrate the selection criteria. Multicultural literature is discussed throughout the text, with a separate chapter on more specific multicultural issues. Numerous teaching ideas, many of which are contributed by classroom teachers, provide practical applications. This is a book for teachers, stressing the use of good books in a literature based curriculum.
