Jules Hermes

Bolivia is a landlocked country, and one can go from high cold mountains to the Amazon. Maria lives around Lago Titicaca, and she learns the traditional ways of life from the Aymara people. She also attends school but the school only teaches her legends from the Aymara people. Weimar lives in Sucre, his father is Quechuan and his mother is Spanish. His family practices Quechuan traditions, and Wiemar believes that his education will allow him to have a good job one day. Rosa lives in Cliza and her town has a food market that attracts many people from other towns. Elizabeth lives in Tiquipaya and she dances in the Saint Michael parade. She feels that it is an honor to dance in the parade, and she wants to carry on the traditions. The book reflects many people from different parts of Bolivia, and it also allows readers to see the lives and traditions of the Aymara and Quechuan. The book also displays the economy of Bolivia.… (más)

Summary: This book tells about different aspects of Guatemalan culture by telling short stories about children who live in that country. For example the book will tell about two sisters who get everyday and make tortillas for their whole family. It tells about children who dance or participate in different festivals or about children from different places in Guatemala. For example the book tells about the different beliefs people from the city have compared tor those who live in the country by telling about Isabella , a rich city girl. The pictures in the book are all very authentic. They depict Guatemalan culture very colorfully and picturesquely.

Review:

I actually really liked this book. I learned a lot about Guatemalan culture, not only what some of the beliefs held there are but also why those beliefs came to be. The author does a good job of explaining traditions and incorporating factual information about Guatemala by telling about the children's lives. i think that way all that information is easier to process because it is put in context. The only critique i would have for the book is that some of the vocabulary in it could be way over the heads of children and it has no glossary or the like.… (más)