Maya's Children: The Story of La Llorona
by Rudolfo A. Anaya
On This Page
Description
In ancient Mexico, the beautiful and magical grandchildren of the Sun God are endangered by the threat of Señor Tiempo who, jealous of their immortality, plots to destroy them.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
The retelling of this tale tames the original and dispels children's fears of a murderous mother who might come after them. It also captures the mystery and symbolism common to lore, but it falls short of explaining how or why the tale may have become distorted. If more elements from the original could be found in the story but told with a new, imaginative twist, the storyline might be more memorable. The main element that is missing is the development of the time god character. Why does he grow jealous? How does his character connect to that of the fabled lover?
Classroom uses: useful for comparative mythology and introduction to symbolism
Classroom uses: useful for comparative mythology and introduction to symbolism
After hearing my classmates share more about la llorona, I was immediately interested in this picture book. While I think the verbal storytelling, and added pieces from many families made the story so much more fun to learn, I did love the illustrations and different story this one told.
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
A Child's Book Tour of Mexico
56 works; 2 members
Author Information
68+ Works 6,287 Members
Rudolfo Anaya, an educator and author, was born on October 30, 1937, in Pastura, New Mexico. He earned a B.A. in English in 1963, an M.A. in 1968 and a second M.A. in Guidance Counseling in 1972 from the University of New Mexico. During the 1960s, Anaya taught in the Albuquerque public schools. In 1974 he began to teach at the University of New show more Mexico and earned the title of professor emeritus in 1993. Anaya's first novel, Bless Me, Ultima began as a trilogy including Heart of Aztlan (1976), and Tortuga (1979). This loose trilogy based on his life experience as a Chicano child, formed Anaya's reputation. Anaya mixed old Spanish folk tales based on the oral tradition with a theme of loss, specifically the loss of religious belief. In 1993, he won the PEN West Center Fiction Award for his novel Albuquerque. 1995 Anaya received both the El Fuego Nuevo Award from the Mexican American Educators and the Excellence in Humanities Award from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities. Anaya has lectured extensively around the world. His works have been translated into many languages such as Italian, Russian and Japanese. With his wife Patricia, he founded the Aztlan Premio, a prize encouraging Chicano writers. Anaya resides in Albuquerque. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal. He died at the age of 82 on June 28, 2020. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- La Llorona
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 24
- Popularity
- 1,107,203
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
