Tonatiuh, Duncan. Land of Books, A : Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters. Duncan Tonatiuh ,
Illus. Abrams, 11/2022. [40]pp. Picture Book. GRADES 2 – 6. $19.99. 978-1-4197-4942-1. OUTSTANDING.
Readers of Duncan Tonatiuh’s award-winning books have long admired his stylized art which uses digital
collage to create colorful images that pay homage to the pictograms of an ancient Mesoamerican book
(codex). This beautiful picture book shows how books were made in Mesoamerica prior to the arrival of
the Spanish and other Europeans. The narrator is a young Mexica (also called Aztec) girl whose parents
are tlahcuilohque, the creators of amoxtin (books) who use techniques passed down through
generations of the family. The story shifts to a series of dreams depicting the contents of the books
including history, mythology, astronomy, and medicine. The non-English words are Nahuatl, a language
spoken by several Mesoamerican cultures and still spoken by some Indigenous groups today. The
extensive back matter provides a glossary of Nahuatl words with pronunciations, a history of the
region’s codices and how most were destroyed by the conquerors, plus photos of two that remain. This
unique offering is one to savor for a deeper appreciation of this amoxtlalpan or “land of books.”
Cindy Gullikson—Joaquin Miller School, Oakland Unified School
District