Mexico Books

While for some a bicultural background might be a bother, for Kathleen Alcala it is a blessing. Her Latin-American background has helped her complete a collection of short stories that is both funny, and magical. Her prose is very poetic and captivating, much like other Latin-American author such as Puerto Rico's Rosario Ferre, and of course, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. Each story is short, told by several first-person narrators, all of them struggling to come to terms with strange, funny, sometimes heartbreaking events of daily life, made even more sorrowful by the conflict of trying to deal with two different cultures, each of them striving to be the dominating one. As a collection, each story could be described as a precious individual pearl, capable of standing on its own, but string them all together and you have a stunning necklace. I highly reccomend this book

While for some a bicultural background might be a bother, for Kathleen Alcala it is a blessing. Her Latin-American background has helped her complete a collection of short stories that is both funny, and magical. Her prose is very poetic and captivating, much like other Latin-American author such as Puerto Rico's Rosario Ferre, and of course, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. Each story is short, told by several first-person narrators, all of them struggling to come to terms with strange, funny, sometimes heartbreaking events of daily life, made even more sorrowful by the conflict of trying to deal with two different cultures, each of them striving to be the dominating one. As a collection, each story could be described as a precious individual pearl, capable of standing on its own, but string them all together and you have a stunning necklace. I highly reccomend this book

I was a captive audience in this wonderful mystery! The author cleverly guides her reader on a Mexican adventure through the eyes of a young girl as she discovers the truth about her amulet and the trials and tribulations of living in a mobile family. The story brought back a few memories for me of the feelings associated with moving to different schools. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery or wants to know what it's like to move many times.

I loved this book! I am 11 years old and what I liked about this book was how real the characters were. I started reading this book and couldn't stop! It was such a page turner! I also liked the mystery and suspence. I think everybody should read this book!

I had never before bought a book on tape. So when ME Cooper's son, (former US MX Champion Guy Cooper), suggested that I buy a few to stock in my store, I was skeptical. However, I brought one of the books with me on an 8 hour drive to a meeting and before I realized it, I had listened to the entire thing! I didn't even want to pause long enough to fuel-up at a gas station! Fun and suspenseful, this story truly reflects the life of a professional motocross racer and adds the excitement of murder to racing! Kudos to Cooper on this one! Definitely recommend, even if you're not into motocross!

Hold on for your life as Chuck Conway goes to Mexico to get his racing career back on track. While amusing himself between races he runs into his ex-partner and ex-wife. Coincidence? Or is someone about to set him up? Accused of multiple murders, an Oklahoma law man is the only thing between Chuck and the Monterrey jail. Fast action, a perflexing mystery, and a fiesty love triangle make Murder in Mexico a riveting tale that will keep your engine running long after you get home.

I made a point of looking up the book here on Amazon so I could write a glowing review. I have also bought a copy for a friend and neighbor (her native country, Mexico). We both are new moms and my son, who is almost two, LOVES this book. "A painting is a poem without words" -- you can see the truth to that saying! The style emphasizes bold color and fantastic figures. The backdrop to these proverbs is an unapologetically childlike universe, awash with the mystery of the new within in the familiar. I wish the authors great success: many many people SHOULD enjoy this book!

I borrowed this book from my ESL co-worker and I fell in love with the gorgeous illustrations and the wonderful text. I came home and looked this book up on Amazon so I could buy it for myself. This is a great book for teachers of Spanish/English/literature/art as well as a great book to sit down and enjoy. You'll love the pictures and the proverbs. Neat book!

I love this book. The colors are rich. The poetry is wonderful. The fact that it is written in both English and Spanish. How cool is that?

The book My Mexico - Mio Mexico is an interesting collection of poems about life in Mexico that reaches a broad spectrum of younger readers. As a middle school teacher of Spanish, these poems are excellent examples of the differing views of Mexico - from the lament for the Aztecs in "Donde Estan?" to the poem "Soy Cucuracha" which is humorous and sure to make your students think and laugh! I would highly recommend this book to any Spanish or ESL teacher who desires to integrate culture and poetry into his or her lessons! My students have thoroughly enjoyed the poems we have studied from this book! Bravo y bien hecho!

My class really enjoyed this suspenseful tale, and the kids learned a lot about the Mayan civilization as well. This book is just as good as the others in the series.

I bought this and other books for my 9 year old grandson. He loved the book.

The author came to my school and gave a book talk, and this book looked exciting so I bought it. It was what most books aren't: Educational AND exciting. That's what made it very enjoyable. The Mystery of the Maya: the Lost City of Palenque doesn't just tell you facts, the author is on an adventure and writes it sort of as if he is writing a journal along the way. It makes you feel like you're there. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who's hungry for fun!

I homeschool my 11 year old son. He chose to do a project on the Maya and came across this book at the library. What a great book! The pictures are beautiful and the style of writing is very friendly.

You can tell that Peter loves his job of researching and writing. I highly recommend this book. I know that I am heading out to find more written by Peter!

Blessings,
Debbie

My girlfriend from the old days has written an excellent book. Anyone who cares to drift southwards to escape big brother should study this text to understand the soul of the nation you will be living in.

heartily recommended to all serious students of the history and politics of revolution. would the author consider expounding further on the lecture circut?

I seem to have bought this book more for myself than for my child - I LOVED it!

"Lolita" is a swallow, one of the many swallows that return every year to Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California from Argentina, 7,500 miles away! "Nacho" is a "pitacoche" (Pam Munoz Ryan's author's note explains that she based her myth-like bird on ancient Mayan and Incan histories, only to find after writing the story that a pitacoche is a real bird, the curved-bill thrasher!). Ryan's almost-mythic bird is "regal... colorful and noble." We learn, though, that his magnificently colored feathers and beautiful singing cover a "pitiful and lonely spirit," for the unique bird is too heavy for long distance flying, and he is the only pitacoche around.

Luckily, this potentially tragic figure is also a very big-hearted, old-fashioned romantic bird, and when he spies Lolita building her nest in the mission belfry, he plucks one of his colorful feathers and presents it to Lolita. She is smitten with him, and "when the swallow took it in her beak, by the mystery of the ages, it became a blue hibiscus." Nacho's affections increase, but one day Lolita reminds him that every winter the swallows leave the mission for warmer climates. Moreover, the land around the mission was becoming so dry that she and her new brood of baby swallows might not be able to return! After an imaginative but failed attempt to accompany Lolita over the ocean, the dejected Nacho takes matters into his own claws. He plucks his magical feathers and spreads them over the barren landscape, causing the river to overflow and flowers, palms, and "draperies of bougainvillea" to bloom! He turns mostly grey as a result, but his love for the safely returned Lolita makes for a happy conclusion "against a papaya sky" (the result of his last feather tossed into the air).

Ryan's lush, florid style speaks of love amid the almost-ruins, and there's am almost operatic range of emotion in the narrative and dialogue. Separated from Lolita after the failed flying attempt, he calls out "We will meet in our dreams," and "when she disappeared from sight, his heart felt as barren as the land." Lolita reassures the no longer colorful Nacho, "To me, you will always be splendid." Some elementary school-age children may not appreciate these matters of the heart, but this is a sweet book, with adventure, drama, and the always fascinating true story of the mission swallows as a backdrop. Ryan uses several Spanish words in the text (with translations following) for further authenticity. Claudia Rueda's vivid, friendly illustrations have so much texture, saturation, contrast, and luminosity (see, especially, the light bouncing off the ocean waves, and the poppies bursting forth under Nacho's feathers) that it's incredible that they she drew them with colored pencils only. The dense narrative can be read over several nights and days, and the combination of tender and dramatic elements make this a winner for classroom reading (with related projects) as well as storytime at home.

E. Ortiz produced her classic of Mexican cooking as a labor of love at a time when most people's concept of Mexican cuisine was fritos and tamales. International culinary tastes have come a long way since then, but her work still stands as a standard--a collection of authentic recipes gathered before other cultural influences began to change (or fuse) the traditional to cosmopolitan trends.

Excellent book. It is easy to read with just enough narrative from the author. A must-have to add to your Mexican cookbook collection. It makes for great reading; I just received it so haven't tried any recipes yet, but have many bookmarked to try.