Francisco Serrano – författare

One of ancient Mexico’s most remarkable rulers, Nezahualcóyotl was a brilliant poet, architect, and engineer. After reclaiming the throne stolen by his murderous uncle, the Poet King became a great ruler who built palaces, libraries, aqueducts, and gardens. Though he endured many tragedies, his poetry brought him comfort and secured his reputation as a literary master. Nezahualcóyotl’s amazing life and achievements are related here in a unique combination of biography and poetry. Though written at a child’s level, this beautifully crafted and lushly illustrated story thrills and informs readers of all ages.

Over 20,000 copies sold!Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most important religious icon in the Americas. She is revered by Latinos in the United States who tattoo her image on their bodies, build altars to her in their homes and streets, and collect anything with her picture on it that they can get their hands on.This beautiful and lavish pop-up book tells her story and that of Juan Diego, to whom she appeared on a hill in Tepeyac (the site of a former Aztec goddess's temple).The story: The Virgin appears to Juan Diego and tells him that Tepeyac is the place where she would like her sacred house built, that she will love and help all who seek her there, and that he must relay this to the bishop. The bishop is not sure he believes Juan Diego, and asks him to return with a sign that this is true. But in the meantime Juan Diego's uncle falls gravely ill. On his way to find a priest for his uncle, Juan Diego runs past the hill, where the Virgin tells him that his uncle will be well again and to fill his cloak with flowers to show the bishop. When Juan Diego presents the flowers to the bishop, there is a beautiful image of the Virgin on the cloak. Eventually her church is built and the miraculous cloak is hung above the altar for millions of visitors to see.Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.6Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Selected for the USBBY Outstanding International Book ListIn the early 1500s, Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors defeated the great Aztec Empire, built a new city for colonists from Spain and took control of vast lands stretching from today's southwestern US down through most of Central America. But many people don't know that one of the reasons for the success of this conquest was the invaluable help of a beautiful woman, Princess Malinali, known today as La Malinche. She was a Náhuatl princess from the coast lands of Tabasco whose kingdom was at war with the Aztec Empire. Because of her knowledge of Maya and Náhuatl languages, and her rapid acquisition of Spanish, she came to act as an interpreter and advisor to Cortés. She also bore him a child. La Malinche is described here as she often is in Mexico as the embodiment of a new culture, one in which the mixing of races, Spanish and Aztec, created a new world. This view is not shared by all Mexicans, however. For some La Malinche is the symbol of a great betrayal that led to the death of millions of her fellow indigenous people. No one disagrees, however, that La Malinche was an extraordinary woman, whose life is fundamental to understanding the history of ancient and modern Mexico.Includes beautiful illustrations by Pablo Serrano, maps, a timeline and further reading.