There's a couple of things I don't love about this book but overall I enjoyed it. I really like reading about Mayan culture. I have always had a fascination for their architecture and story telling education system. This book is a n explanation of why we (Central americans) use the term People of Corn. Based on the Popol Vuh's first narrative: he creation of the human being.
In the begining there was nothing, only the gods. Quetzalcoatl (the feathered snake,now known as quetzal, Guatemala's national bird) and Huracan created all the plants and animals but none of them could speak like the gods to thank them. They first made people out of mud (not shown in the book) but they would crumble and couldn't stand. the second time, they meade people out of wood. These could speak and walk, but they had no life inside of them. the third time, humans were made out of corn. the gods chose corn because after the flood they sent to erase the second creation, corn was the only thing that survived standing straight, pointing to the sky. We are people of corn, corn was the primary element in mayan economy, and in today's culture almost all our traditional foods have corn in them. Tortillas, tamales, atol de elote, etc.
I wish that in the research for this book more about bout Guatemala wuold have been investigated. both the author and ilustrator studied Mexican mayan history. This makes everything a little more cofusing becase everything above Chiapas, Mexico is not mayan but aztec.
If you like mayan history, I would llove to recomend checking out lel ienzo de quauhquechollan. This is the very first map made of Guatemala and a painted diary found in the early 2000's https://lienzo.ufm.edu/en/

The illustrations oof People of Corn are not the best, but I like how they used the shapes from mayan designs and textiles. ( )

This book would be good for a read-aloud for first grade. It would be good for a read-aloud because the pictures help to tell the story and helps the students see the descriptive language in the story.

An educational tool for students to know about the origin of Maya - a people who culture began in Mexico and Central America more than 3,000 years ago. It is interesting to know Maya has a creation story similar to other people. Maya is people of corn. Corn is not food to them, but has inner life and soul. This is an interesting way to learn culture different from us. ( )

In my opinion, this was a great book and I really liked the plot and writing style of the story. The plot follows the tale of Mayan creation and why Mayans today are thankful for corn, they praise the gods for what they are given. The Mayan gods first created earth with rivers, mountains, and animals, but the animals could not speak or show praise to the gods. Then the gods created humans who could talk and work well together, but still had no hearts to give thanks. After talking to the Grandmother of Light, the gods realized corn was the secret to life in all Mayans and made humans from corn. With earth complete the Mayans could work and speak but most importantly sing praise.

I enjoyed the structure of this story and writing style of the author because the plot was easy to follow and organization was clear. I liked how the reader was taken on a journey with the gods through the creation of time and how the Mayans came to be people of corn. The storytelling was very engaging and the explanation for why the people are blessed with corn is carried out in a fun and captivating way. The main message of this story is that, Earth was not created with ease and by one superior. Hard work and great thought was put into the creation of Mayan people and culture, which is why the gods want to be remembered for their accomplishments. ( )

Summary:

The book tells about the Mayan people's rituals about corn, such as calling out to it, and calling it in sacred procession. Then it retells the Mayan story of creation in which two gods create the first humans from corn with the soul of purpose of these new creation adoring them. The book weaves the creationist story into a grand story about the two goods how they created the earth, animals and finally how trough trial and error they finally created the Mayan people. Then the book ties this story to the current beliefs and rituals of the Mayan people that live today.

Review:

I really liked this book as whole. The topic encourages children to broaden their cultural horizons. The Mayan people are one of the only old civilizations that still live today and children deserve the opportunity to learn about them.
I liked the way the author organized the book. It has a story with in a story set up which i think will really help children understand the customs the Mayan people still preserve. The author tells about Mayan traditions and then delves into an explanation of where they came from. At the end of the book the author once again ties the legend to the lifestyle of the Mayans, making even more connections.
The author's approach to the subject is very appropriate. The author tells about the Mayan people's traditions without passing judgement about any of them and I think she does a good job of presenting the traditions, some of which might seem really silly to us in a manner that really expresses the feeling and meaning behind it.
- The author has good story telling skills. I like the language he uses such as "Dazzling" and "lords and Underworld". This kind of language sets the tone for a grand story.
Over all I think that the author does a good job of explaining his topic.
There was only one thing I did not like about the book. When the author tells the story of creation she goes into so much detail that it makes the book long and repetitious at times. Considering children's short attention span this could mean children never get to finish the book. ( )