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<< Back to Opuestos
Opuestos
| Chicago Tribune |
| It’s hard to take one’s eyes off this book, the wood sculptures are so appealing, so re-readings are probable. |
Books about opposites have a surprisingly strong appeal to very young children. The concept of opposition opens up a new way of looking at everything, both what a child sees and what she can imagine as the opposite. The visual images are small, expressive Oxacan folk-art animals, carved by Quirino and Martin Santiago. “Day,” for example, shows a white dog with black spots, poised to play; “Night” is a black dog, with white streaks, howling at the moon. The words—Spanish and English—are simply placed at the bottom on the page, so there’s no confusing proliferation of places for the eyes to rest. In fact, it’s hard to take one’s eyes off this book, the wood sculptures are so appealing, so re-readings are probable.
Mary Harris Russell, professor emerita of English at Indiana University Northwest, reviews children’s books weekly for Tribune Newspapers.
| | - Mary Harris Russell, August 2, 2009 |
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| Publishers Weekly |
| This bilingual companion to the alphabet book ABeCedarios also features images of Oaxacan sculptures (albeit from a different group of artists), but instead focuses on opposites. Wood statues of various animals face each other on each spread, colored with bright spots and stripes and set against equally vivid backgrounds. In a nod to Aesop, an orange hare (“Fast / Rápido”) is seen across from a turtle (“Slow / Lenta”), while a spotted dog and a black wolf both sit beside chalky images of the sun and moon to demonstrate day and night. Direct and charming. Ages 2–5. |
| | - August 24, 2009 |
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| Kirkus Reviews |
This second work by one of the authors of ABeCedarios (2007) follows its predecessor's highly praised concept and design. Pages on the left side introduce children to a word in English and Spanish, as pages on the right side present its opposite: Asleep/Dormido (a spotted dog snoozes)/AwakeDespierto (the same dog, eyes wide open and tail sticking up).
Concepts are illustrated with photographs of unique hand-painted animal carvings created individually by Oaxacan artists Quirino and Martin Santiago. The contrast between the text colors and the bright background combines with the imaginary dialogue that children can establish with the vivacious folk-art figures to make this bilingual edition another outstanding entry in the First Concepts with Mexican Folk Art series. On some pages an external element-a sun or a moon, for instance-expands on such concepts as Day/Día and Night/Noche.
A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries. As a work of art, its display will enhance art exhibits and cultural programs as part of Hispanic Heritage Month or Children's Day/Book Day celebrations. (Picture book. 3-7)
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| | - July 15, 2009 |
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| Blue Ribbon 2009, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books |
| The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books is pleased to announce at Cynthia Weill’s Opuestos is on its list of 2009 winners of the Blue Ribbon Award. |
Blue Ribbon 2009, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books is pleased to announce at Cynthia Weill’s Opuestos is on its list of 2009 winners of the Blue Ribbon Award.
“Another year, another angst-filled deliberation and consideration of issues new and old and the delicious dilemma of choosing the best from a selection of the very fine indeed. We’re certainly pleased that this year has brought a satisfying variety of texts from the standpoint of audience age, and there are stellar titles within realms—beginning readers, concept books—that don’t always reach Blue Ribbon levels of excellence. Add to that a wide range of subjects—war and witches, archeology and animals, snow and scientific inquiry and school silliness—and we’ve got a list containing delights for many different readers. We hope they—and you—enjoy.
—Deborah Stevenson, Editor | | - January 1, 2010 |
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| School Library Journal |
| K-Gr 3–Oaxacan folk art in the form of hand-carved wood sculptures abounds in this bilingual concept book about opposites. Contrasting concepts include inside and outside, high and low, and left and right, to name a few. At the turn of each page, readers see brightly painted wood characters set against equally vibrantly colored background pages that effortlessly convey the concept the author sets out to teach. On each spread, the English and Spanish words for a single concept face the opposing concept. This attractive volume conveys the concept in a unique and inviting fashion and provides youngsters with an introduction to some Mexican art in the process. |
| | - September 15, 2009 |
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| Midwest Book Review |
Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill (beautifully illustrated with wood sculptures from Oaxaca by Quirino and Martin Santiago) is a charming educational book that teaches opposites through pictures of colorful Oaxacan animal wood carvings.
Each page presents a carefully photographed figure or figures to illustrate the opposite concept, which is a word written in both English and Spanish. Humorous animal expressions and brilliant use of color and detail heighten the impact of each page.
Opuestos is cultural immersion education philosophy at its most creative level. Designed for preschool to kindergarten age levels, Opuestos will appeal to a wide variety of interests and tastes. |
| | - August 7, 2009 |
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| San Antonio Express News |
Book utilizes symbols to teach basics of Spanish
A is for apple. Scratch that. Armadillo. That's pronounced ar-ma-dee-yo in a set of vibrant books that use Mexican folk art to teach basic concepts of Spanish. The first book, AbeCedarios, published in 2007 by Cinco Puntos Press, focuses on the alphabet. Each letter is represented by an animal carved and painted by the Jiménez family of Oaxaca. In the process, English speakers can learn, for example, that P is for penguin, or el pingüino. |
Book utilizes symbols to teach basics of Spanish
A is for apple. Scratch that. Armadillo.
That's pronounced ar-ma-dee-yo in a set of vibrant books that use Mexican folk art to teach basic concepts of Spanish.
The first book, AbeCedarios, published in 2007 by Cinco Puntos Press, focuses on the alphabet. Each letter is represented by an animal carved and painted by the Jiménez family of Oaxaca. In the process, English speakers can learn, for example, that P is for penguin, or el pingüino.
The small, independent El Paso-based press has just published the second book in the series. (A third will focus on colors.) Opuestos, which means opposites, builds on what we learned in the first book, teaching simple terms that are, well, as different as night and day.
For "day," or día, a spotted dog, perhaps a Dalmatian, sits up and begs for a treat, basking in a bright yellow background. Across the page, a black coyote croons in the dark of "night," or noche.
The imaginative figures for Opuestos were carved from the wood of the flowering jacaranda tree and painted with natural dyes by artists Quirino and Martín Santiago from the village of La Unión Tejalapan in the state of Oaxaca.
"The books are aimed at three audiences: kids, people interested in folk art and educators," says Opuestos author Cynthia Weill, who wrote Abecedarios with K.B. Basseches. "I want a teacher to be able to use the books not only for concepts but also to educate about Mexican culture.
"I am also hoping that these books bring recognition to the artisans and Oaxaca's amazing folk arts. Handicrafts are an important livelihood for families in the poorest state in Mexico."
Ironically, the artists Weill has worked with on the books didn't always get the concept initially, pointing out a basic cultural divide.
"When I was working on AbeCedarios' and finally had all of the pieces photographed, I laid them out on the ground to show the entire Jiménez family," Weill says. "(Carvers) Moises and Armando were completely confused. They said, 'We thought this was a book about us.' After a long discussion I realized that they had never owned any children's books. As children, stories were passed through the oral tradition. They never understood until the end of the project what we were doing. It explained a lot."
Generally, says Weill, an educator and art historian who has lived in Asia, Europe and Latin America, the relationship between artist and author required routine maintenance.
"The relationship takes a lot of patience on both sides," she says. "Ready-made pieces are never quite what I am looking for, so all work is commissioned. Intercultural issues and just general misunderstanding do affect things.
"Often the figures they gave me were too large, or the wrong color, or the piece was beautiful but was too sophisticated artistically for a young child to appreciate. Our senses of time conflicted, naturally, being American I wanted everything as soon as possible and the artisans had a different internal clock. To my total chagrin my work would be set aside to complete another order or sometimes even 'accidentally' sold.
"It could be a little frustrating. Still I loved every minute of working with the artisans. Hopefully, they felt the same way about me."
For a full interview with Opuestos author Cynthia Weill, visit Express-News book editor Steve Bennett's "Fine Print" book blog at
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/fine_print/2009/08/fabulous-folk-art-books-teach.html#more | | - By Steve Bennett - Express-News, August 23, 2009 |
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| Tucson Citizen |
Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill with wood sculptures from Oaxaca by Quirino and Martin Santiago (Cinco Puntos Press, $14.95)
In this sequel to ABeCedarios, the first title in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series, figures made from the wood of the flowering jacaranda tree are used as bilingual teaching tools. (Ages 5-7) |
| | - Larry Cox, August 5, 2009 Visit Website |
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| Dwight Englewood School |
Award-Winning Author’s New ‘Work of Art’ Delights Children, Young and Old Capturing the imagination of young readers is never easy, yet Cynthia Weill, celebrated author of the award-winning and visually-stunning book, Ten Mice for Tet, has done just that with her latest book, OPUESTOS: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish (Cinco Puntos Press; Bilingual edition; August 1, 2009).
An art historian and Mexican folk art aficionada, this clever and highly creative D-E middle school faculty member came up with the notion of using the delicate carvings of Oaxacan artisans to teach early readers basic concepts; the end product, OPUESTOS, is a win/win for children and the Mexican artisans whose work she seeks to celebrate and promote.
“OPUESTOS means opposites—right and left, up and down, asleep and awake,” says Cynthia, who explains that she traveled to La Union Tejalapan to collect work from brothers Quirino and Martin Santiago and others to illustrate the opposites that kids -- and adults -- experience in their every day lives. “I was fascinated by the whimsical carved alebrijes and instinctively knew children would be too; these colorful carvings have the power to delight both the new learner and the collector of Mexican folk art,” says the author.
OPUESTOS is not the first time that Cynthia has used Mexican folk art to engage early readers; the first book in her “First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art” series, AbeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in Spanish and English, featured magical hand-carved animals created by artisans from the town of Arrazola to represent the Spanish and English alphabets. It drew rave reviews as a colorful and inventive way to teach young children their ABCs.
Cynthia says her love of Mexican folk art began more than a decade ago when she taught in Mexico City courtesy of the Fulbright exchange. Today, she says crafts are an economic lifeline for many Oaxacans, and she’s proud and delighted to have found an educational use for the work.
“Ideally, my books will help promote the sustainability of the craft and aid in the overall economic well being of the artisans,” she says.
To read more about Cynthia’s work, visit www.cincopuntos.com.
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| | - September 17, 2009 |
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Library Media Connection  |
| This exuberant bilingual book actually makes use of chunking, the cognitive learning theory that groups separate pieces of information into connected units to improve retention. Whimsical creatures carved by artisans in the Mexican state of Oaxaca demonstrate the meanings of each pair of opposites in Spanish and English. The pages are brightly colored with large easy-to-read print. The creatures, ranging from dogs and bulls to a moth, are cheerfully painted. The last page of the book shows a picture of the author with artisans from Oaxaca, which lends a sense of respect for the art that gives life to the words. Though this book clearly target the youngest of audiences, it could easily be used in a Spanish language classroom to teach vocabulary in a manner which would actually stick with the students. This book could also be used in an art class unit about folk art. This is the second in the series: the first was ABeCedarios. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. |
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