Emerita Romero-anderson

This is a book for the middle grades, so it is rather simply written. However, it covers a whole lot of historical ground. Set in the 1790's during Spanish colonialism in New Mexico. It features a very young boy, Raymundo, who is now the "man of the family" after his father's death a year ago. The village is facing a drought and extreme poverty. They are even running out of cooking and water pots since the Natives have started exporting their pottery to larger cities in the area. There is a strong conflict between Catholicism and Native beliefs with much superstition on each side. But Raymundo sees a way that his people and the Natives can work together so everyone can survive and perhaps even thrive, if he can just get people to understand. The book flows at a reasonable pace for the targeted age group, and includes a glossary for the many Spanish words used within the book. On top of that, Randy Pijoan's illustrations are eye-catching and beautiful.… (mais)