Hands of the Maya: Villagers at Work and Play [Hardcover]

Rachel Crandell (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Books for Young Readers

Witness loving, working hands in action in this vivid portrait of life in a Maya village.

"Grandmother Apolonia has gone to market for the day to weave and sell her baskets."

Experience a day in the life of a Maya village. The wisdom of the phrase "Many hands make light work" comes across in vivid detail as the community prepares a warm meal, weaves clothing, constructs roofs, and creates art and music. Best of all-in the morning or at the end of the busy day, a pair of strong, gentle hands never seems hard to find.

With its lyrical prose and richly textured photographs, this engaging picture book captures the hard work, love, and respect of the Maya culture.

The proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to a high-school scholarship fund for the children of Maya Centre.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-This picture book opens with a simple but colorful map of Mesoamerica and a brief foreword by the author describing her stay at a village in Belize. In the pages that follow, readers are offered snapshots of Maya villagers throughout the course of a day. Each spread features two photos: a small picture with a few lines of text opposite a full-page, close-up shot (often a detail of the same scene). The residents are most often depicted working: carrying firewood, preparing meals, sowing maize, and weaving, clearly illustrating the author's observation that "Maya hands are seldom still." The text, basically commentary on the activities in the photos, is somewhat choppy. Framed color photographs are attractively placed against a background of pale yellow and shadowy glyph forms. Despite a few grainy shots, the illustrations will interest children. This title can be used to introduce youngsters to other cultures and will supplement units on Central America and the Maya.
Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. Crandell, an elementary school teacher who lived in several Maya communities, celebrates Maya work in this photo-essay that takes children through a day in a village. Each spread features one page with brief text that describes a task--building a house, weaving, farming--and a small color picture that illustrates the activity. On the opposite page is a larger photo of an individual's hands--fingers plucking an instrument, cradling a lamb, and so on. Some passages speak from an outsider's romanticized view ("Maya hands are never idle"), but for the most part, both text and images give children an intriguing glimpse of Maya art, food, shelter, family life, and language (Maya words are woven into the text and defined in an appended glossary). Kindergarten and elementary teachers can use this for discussions about home and family; an introductory note gives more background on the author's experiences with the Maya. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080506687X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805066876
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, engaging, and informative book!, February 7, 2003

By 

Kimi Ishikawa "Kimi" (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hands of the Maya: Villagers at Work and Play (Hardcover)

Beautifully photographed and engagingly written, this is a thoughtful portrayal of the Mayan people presented as a day-in-the-life, and focusing on a lifestyle where hands still do the work (instead of dishwashers, food processors, etc!) It would be a wonderful gift book for a young child, or a great classroom supplement for a pre-K through 2nd grade class focusing on the Americas, community, indigenous peoples... or even the human body!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic book for kids of all ages, August 24, 2009

By 

Jenifer Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hands of the Maya: Villagers at Work and Play (Hardcover)

My kids love this book - the photographs are amazing and interesting for young kids to look at. This is a terrific book. Can't wait to see what Rachel Crandell writes next!

5.0 out of 5 stars Spend a Day with Neighbors to the South, October 27, 2009

By 

s e getzschman "getzschwoman" (STL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hands of the Maya: Villagers at Work and Play (Hardcover)

"Hands of the Maya," chronicled in words and photos by Rachel Crandell, the woman who lived them, became an instant classic in my college class in Children's Literature, where we experimented with how to play with it in the classroom. The love these Mayan people exude for work, play and family is heartwarming, and like a beautiful jewel with many facets, the book gives us a deeper picture of a nearby and disappearing culture than we might ever expect. Reading it at home with the family or using it in any classroom will broaden children's concept of others and bring the world together as few other things could. I only hope Crandell's next book, "Hands of the Embera," about a wonderful cultural group living in Panama, will become available very soon.