The Ancestors Are Singing [Hardcover]

Tony Johnston (Author), Karen Barbour (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Lyrical meditations on Mexico

"Moon over Mexico
The moon’s white eye
watches over skyscrapers
and stone temples alike."

The poems in this tribute to the Mexico of the past and present show that history and modernity don’t always meet in an easy alliance. With respect and passion for the lore and legend of its old civilizations, and concern and hope for the Mexico of today, Tony Johnston takes us from Mexico City to Oaxaca to Chiapas, from the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl to a shoeless boy selling newspapers, in this moving collection exuberantly illustrated by Karen Barbour.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-For those readers unfamiliar with Quetzalc-atl, a Mexican serpent god, or the Day of the Dead, The Ancestors Are Singing may be a good launching pad into a discussion of Mexican culture. Johnston's poems give readers glimpses of a rainy street in Mexico City (complete with a "silver skein of cars") to the mouth of an erupting volcano, blowing out slivers of obsidian black lava. Jos‚ sells newspapers on a street corner; meanwhile, industry is chopping down the jungle ("-Where will the monkeys,/the jaguars/go?"). There is a sense of strong connection to history and culture, through imagery of animals, gods, and ancestors. Barbour's bold, swirling black-and-white illustrations convey a vivid sense of place. A volcano comes to life; the stoic faces and sensitive expressions are proudly depicted. And the joy and mysticism of angels, spirits, the moon, the sun, and music are aptly presented-all without the use of color. A brief glossary can help explain unfamiliar terms.
Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. The poems in Johnston's latest collection celebrate Mexico--its mythology, landscapes, and contemporary sights and sounds. Writing in a variety of forms, Johnston imagines the ancient world (Quetzacoatl, the plumed serpent god who gave corn to man) as well as the modern one ("silver skein of cars" winding through Mexico City). The language is filled with lush, repetitive sounds; subtle rhymes; sensory images; and action--"spiraling, spinning" dust devils. There are also searing reminders of colonialism and proud defiance. In one poem a slave forced to build a church gives "each saint and angel there / his own dark / Indian face." Barbour's black-and-white drawings, stylized to resemble glyphs and folk art, often overwhelm the words. But the poems' lovely sounds and evocative subjects will draw young poetry lovers, and the history makes the collection a natural choice for social studies units. A concluding glossary defines the cultural and Spanish terms used in text. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374303479
• ISBN-13: 978-0374303471
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,273,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)