New Releases by Cynthia Weill

"An introduction in English and Spanish to the different instruments and musicians that are common to Mexican ensembles"--

"An introduction in English and Spanish to different methods of transportation"--

Cynthia Weill scores again with an early concept book that bring every kind of job to life, including the work of the dedicated palm weavers of Flavio Gallardo’s workshop, whose miniature palm weavings illustrate this playful book, teaching children words for work in two languages. The weavers live in the village of Chigmecatitlán in the Mixteca part of the Mexican state of Puebla. With tremendous skill and patience, the artisans of this region practice palm weaving, a craft which came to Mexico even before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 15th century. Imagine being able to hold all of the illustrations in one book in the palms of your hands. You can do that with the tiny weavings in Let’s Work. Most pieces are no larger than a dime! Cynthia Weill una vez más triunfa con un libro de primeros conceptos que trae a toda clase de trabajo a vida, incluyendo el trabajo de los tejedores de palmas del taller de Flavio Gallardo, cuyas tejidas de palma ilustran este alegre libro, enseñándole palabras sobre el trabajo a niños, en dos lenguas. Los tejedores viven en el pueblo de Chigmecatitlán en la parte Mixteca del pueblo mexicano de Puebla. Con estupenda habilidad y paciencia, los artesanos de esta región practican el tejido de palmas, un arte que vino a México antes que siquiera vinieran los españoles en el siglo 15. Imagina poder tener en tus manos todas las ilustraciones, en un solo libro. Puedes hacer esto con los tejidos minúsculos en Vamos a Trabajar! La gran parte de las piezas no son más grande que una moneda!

Oaxacan dancers and musicians celebrate with a colorful parade of folk art numbers. Count yourself in!

Did you know that animals that live in one country don't always talk the same language as animals from somewhere else? Take a rooster, for instance. In English-speaking countries, he says cock-a-doodle-doo when he has a notion to announce himself or to greet the dawn. But in Spanish-speaking countries, he says ki-kiri-ki. Emerging readers will delight in identifying the animals depicted on each new page. And the bilingual text invites parent and child into an interactive and playful reading experience for acting out animal sounds in English and Spanish. Craftsman Rubí Fuentes and Efraín Broa from the Mexican state of Oaxaca fill the pages of Animal Talk with vibrant, wildly imaginative figures of familiar animals. Animal Talk is the fifth book in Cynthia Weill's charming First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series. It is her passion to promote the work of artisans from around the world through early concept books.

It's time for Tet! This vibrant, unique counting book introduces children to the rich traditions of the Vietnamese New Year. A playful village of mice lead young readers through the joyful celebration, as exquisitely embroidered illustrations recreate ten scenes of preparation, gift giving, feasting, and firework displays. With simple text followed by an informative afterword, Ten Mice for Tet is a joyful tribute to a special holiday.

Every ABC book worth its cover price is bound to have bright colors and big letters. But not every ABC book has magical hand-carved animals to illustrate every letter. And very few alphabet books present those letters in more varieties than English! Very few alphabet books except the ABeCedarios, that is! In this brightly colored book, the alphabet is presented in both Spanish and English, and includes the four additional letters—and whimsical animals—that make the Spanish alphabet so much fun. The famous folk artists, brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez, carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios. Working with their wives and children in the beautiful village of Arrazola in Oaxaca, Mexico, they carved and painted each enchanting animal by hand. For many centuries, people in Oaxaca have carved wood to make toys and household objects. However, it was Moisés and Armando’s grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures. Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving. K. B. Basseches is an artist, photographer, and art educator. She was an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Art Education, and served as a staff photographer at the Smithsonian Institution in the Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Basseches has exhibited throughout the mid-Atlantic region and in the Los Angeles area. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her young son and husband. Todos los libros del alfabeto tienen colores brillantes y letras grandes. Pero no cada libro del alfabeto tiene animales mágicos tallados a mano para ilustrar cada letra. ¡Y muy pocos libros del alfabeto presentan esas letras en más idiomas que ingles! Muy pocos ¡excepto por ABeCedarios! En este libro vibrante, el alfabeto es presentado en ambo español e ingles, e incluye las cuatro letras adicionales en el alfabeto de español. . Los hermanos Moisés and Armando Jiménez tallaron las figuras de animales maravillosas que ilustran cada letra en ABeCedarios. Trabajando con sus esposas e hijos, meticulosamente pintaron a mano cada animal encantador. Las familias Jiménez viven y trabajan en el hermoso pueblo de montaña de Arrazola, Oaxaca.

Welcome to the family! It's just like yours: father, mother, sister, brother, abuelita, gato, even a great-great grandmother. Well, but there's something just a little bit different about this particular family. Maybe it's those clothes they wear . . . just a little bit fashion backward. And the colors! So vibrant and . . . lively. Maybe that's what it is. They are just so full of life while looking almost other worldly. Cynthia Weill's latest bilingual book for young readers teaches basic information about relationships, while also celebrating the colorful tradition of Mexico's Day of the Dead. Artist Jesus Canseco Zarate long-limbed sculptures are a playful twist on traditional Mexican iconography of the skeleton that stretches back through the country's art history to José Gualdalupe Posada's engravings and Aztec sculpture. Chosen as one of the Best Children's Books Of The Year by the Children's Book Committee and by the Cooperative Children's Book Center Cynthia Weill holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College Columbia University. She is on the board of the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art which seeks to promote and preserve the artists and artisanal work of that Mexican state. La Familia is her fifth book featuring the folk art of Oaxaca. Jesus Canseco Zarate is a young Oaxacan folk artist whose medium of choice is paper mâché. In 2008 he won first prize in the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art completion for young artists.

"Welcome to the Family! It's just like yours: father, mother, sister, brother, abuelita, gato. Well, but, there's something just a little bit different about this family. Maybe it's those clothes they wear... just a little bit fashion backward. And the colors! So vibrant and... lively. Maybe that's what it is. They are just so full of life. Familia-life from a Day of the Dead perspective!"--

“Each page captures a sense of wonder, of the vibrancy of color, the imagination of the artist, the name of the hue. Colors take life in this small picture book, perfect for small hands, in an astonishing pairing of visual intimacy and artistic joy that make this one of the most distinctive recent books on color—in English or otherwise.” —Papertigers.org This book truly did take a village of artists, scattered all around mountain villages in the beautiful state of Oaxaca. Fifteen in fact! Go to our website to see who carved what lovely animal. And, please, imagine the adventurous Cindy Weill traipsing from village to village in search of these wonderful artisans. Este libro tomó el trabajo de toda una comunidad de artistas, esparcidos por los pueblos de las montañas del hermoso estado de Oaxaca. Tomó quince artistas, de hecho! Ve a nuestro sitio para ver quien esculpió cada bonito animal. Y, por favor, imagina a la intrépida Cindy Weill paseando de pueblo a pueblo en búsqueda de estos maravillosos artesanos y artesanas.

Introduces opposites using painted wooden folk art animal sculptures made by artisans from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Colors are taught by introducing the works of Mexican folk artists.