Napi [Hardcover]

Antonio Ramirez (Author), Domi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Napí is a young Mazateca girl who lives with her family in a village on the bank of a river in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Each afternoon the family sits beneath the shade of a huge ceiba tree and listens to the grandfather's stories. As Napí listens, she imagines different colors — orange, purple, violet, and green. When night comes, the trees fill with white herons settling on their branches. The ceiba tree sends Napí dreams every night, and in her favorite one, she becomes a heron, gliding freely along the river. Domi's vibrant palette and magical illustrations perfectly complement this imaginative story.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–A Mazateca girl who lives beside a river in Oaxaca describes her home and village at different times of the day. The importance of nature in her people's lives is clear. When night comes, the pachota, a tree special to her, sends her dreams. In them, she is a heron flying over her village, observing the people and her beloved tree. Despite an abrupt ending, the clear, lyrical prose has a childlike charm that brilliantly re-creates the joys of this child's experience. Domi's primitive acrylic artwork enhances the sense of the story. The visual equivalent of magical realism with their detail and luminous layering of jewel tone colors, these enchanting paintings will draw children into Napí's world. Right down to the flying girl with her braids outstretched, this titleis reminiscent in tone and artistic distinction to Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach (Crown, 1991). It would also pair well with Tony Johnston's Isabel's House of Butterflies (Sierra Club, 2003) for an informed look at indigenous cultures.–Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
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From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In a Mexican village, a little girl lives with her Mazateca Indian family near a big ceiba tree, which they call pachota. Under the shade of the pachota, Grandfather tells stories, her mother braids her hair, and the child observes the world around her. She remarks on the different colors of light on different days and on the beauty of night, when white herons roost in trees along the riverbank. In a dream, the girl becomes a heron, observing her village from above. Glowing with intense colors sometimes used in fanciful ways, the acrylic paintings show the river, trees, and village teeming with life. Figures of people and animals are depicted either full-face or in profile, heightening the childlike directness of the art. The colors are used in strong, primitive forms, yet the placement and vividness of the hues may reminds some of stained glass. An unusual, dynamic picture book by two Mexican artists, Ramirez and his wife, Domi, who is Mazateca. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (August 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888996101
• ISBN-13: 978-0888996107
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,839,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)