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Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts

The Sunbearer Trials -- Latinx Novel Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Today I am sharing the second new book for Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a Latinx mythology book that will have Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan fans seeing a new culture. The book is the first in a duology. It is The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. Not only does it take place in Latin America but it also has quite a bit of talk and characters who are transgender. The book is recommended for ages 13-18. 

Until Someone Listens -- New Picture Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe that Hispanic Heritage Month ends this week. I am so behind the ball these days. Getting used to working full time, having older parents and getting sick, are not giving me the time to write as much as I would like. I have two books I want to share for Hispanic Heritage Month and today I will share the picture book. It is Until Someone Listens by Estela Juarez with Lissette Norman and illustrated by Teresa Martinez. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is also available in Spanish

Ultimate Food Atlas -- Explore the World through Food with This Book

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Hazel was younger, we loved exploring the world and participated in a blog group celebrating food from around the world. We did the series Around the World in 12 Dishes. I miss it sometimes because it got us exploring different dishes. Some we loved and others not so much. Today I get to share a book that lets you explore the world through food so basically our series in one book sort of. The book is Ultimate Food Atlas: Maps, Games, and Recipes for Hours of Delicious Fun by Nancy Castaldo and Christy Mihaly. It is from National Geographic Kids and is recommended for ages 8 to 12 but could work with younger kids with adult help.

Mommy Time Posts--Otomi Journal and Quilt Update

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this journal in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you make time for yourself? For self care? As mothers we tend to have the weight of the world or at least of our homes, families and work on our shoulders. It is hard to find time. A friend recently shared a post on Facebook of a conversation between two women. It involved finding time to meet God in mountains. In the Bible men are often climbing mountains and meeting God. Women however are back tending to the house and family. Does this mean women do not have God in their lives? No, the conversation shared that God knows the role women play and meets them at home. God is always with us to care for us because we don't have the time to just take off and climb a mountain. However it is important for us to take the time to take care of ourselves. I have decided to try to share products, activities and things about self care and mommy time on Fridays. First a quilt update. A few weeks ago I shared a review of Wintertime Shimmer. I decided to try the wall hanging option and instead of winter try to capture the beautiful autumn colors outside. I still have to do the applique on it and am planning on putting a female cardinal on instead of the male. (Yes I have an obsession with the female cardinals.) Anyway, here is the pieced portion of the quilt.


 I have to say it was very quick to piece and I love the pattern. I may make a winter one as well. I do find quilting, sewing, and crafts as part of my self care. I have a strong need to create and if I ignore the pull towards crafts I find myself lost. 

One of my favorite self care activities is journaling. There are times when the emotions are too much and I just need to let them out. I find my journal helps with this. Do you love journals? Hazel and I love them and tend to collect them. I was fortunate enough to get sent this beautiful Otomi Journal to review. 

https://papress.com/collections/journals-notebooks/products/otomi-journal-embroidered-textile-art-from-mexico

This journal has embossed Mexican embroidery design all over the cover. It is based off the traditional embroidery of the Otomi People in Central Mexico. They are an indigenous group to Central Mexico.


Inside the journal there are lined pages. Then every fifth page of so a print from the traditional embroidery appears. They are animals or flowers. 


I love the little surprises of the print. The pages themselves are thick and a good quality. I haven't started to use it but plan to keep track of some health data so I know what to tell doctors when I have appointments. Nowadays they tend to be telehealth appointments so it is important to be able to tell my doctor everything I need to since she is not really examining me. 


Plus if I get my act together I will be able to use it to track my diet and exercise. How would you use a journal? This one is absolutely beautiful. I love the added touch of its culture. They also have Otomi Notecards if you would prefer to send the beauty to your friends and family. I would love to hear how you are doing some self care these days!

Fun Facts about Cinco de Mayo


It is hard to believe it is already Cinco de Mayo. This year of course is so different than other years since many of us are living with stay-at-home orders but I thought it would be fun to talk about Cinco de Mayo. But first do you know what Cinco de Mayo actually is? I think most people know or realize that the words Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for May 5th, but most do not know why it is a holiday. Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th.

Fun Facts about Tacos with Recipe and Craft Round-Up for Naitonal Taco Day


Today (October 4) is National Taco Day!! I know I am having tacos for lunch. How about you? In honor of it I thought I would share some fun facts and a taco recipe and craft round-up. Then get out and get yourself a taco!!

Learning about Juan Felipe Herrera and His New Book Imagine

Disclosure: Candlewick Press sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am participating in Multicultral Kid Blog's Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop. I am going to share a new picture book by Juan Felipe Herrera called Imagine. It is illustrated by Lauren Castillo. When I read the book, I wanted to know more about the man who wrote it and I soon learned he is an interesting man to learn about and I thought I would share about Juan Felipe Herrera with you.

God's Eye Geometry and a Crafty Weekends Link Party 2 Weeks Long!

Last week I shared about Easter in Bermuda and the Bermudian kites reminded me of fancy God's Eyes. It got me thinking about God's Eyes and making some. I looked on-line and there are plenty of tutorials out there like this one over at Crafts by Amanda.  

Monarchs and Mexico -- Global Learning for Kids


As I mentioned yesterday this month's country for Global Learning for Kids is Mexico. Yesterday we explored art from Mexico. Since Hazel loves animals, I thought we would focus on an animal with a connection to Mexico and the perfect one is the monarch butterfly!


A Look At Mexican Art -- Hispanic Heritage Month

This year for our Hispanic Heritage Month post I thought we would share a bit about artwork from Mexico. Mexico is the country of the month for Global Learning for Kids, so we have been looking at it quite a bit this month. More posts to follow on it. In previous years we have looked at Frida Kahlo, papel picado Jose Guadalupe Posada and Juan Quezada. We found even more books at the library about Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo -- Women's History Month Book Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Today I am sharing with you one of the books that we looked at for Women's History Month. Each year I try to read books about women we have not explored yet. Our first post this year about the Thinking Girls Treasury of Real Princesses shared many new to us women. It was also our official post for the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Women's History Month Series. I also like to expose Hazel to different artists and this book does that. (A few years ago I introduced her to Georgia O'Keeffe for Women's History Month.) I will admit I did not know much about Frida Kahlo before reading this book. The book is Frida Kahlo by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Gee Fan Eng. It is part of the Little People, Big Dreams series. 

Christmas Candles in Different Lands

Candle Photo By By Elmar Ersch (Own work)
 [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

This year for Christmas in Different Lands each post is exploring some aspect of Christmas in at least three different continents. Today we are looking at candles. How do you use candles at Christmas time? With electricity there are not as many uses as there once was but some are still used for special events. In New England often there are single candles (and for some multiple candles) in the windows of a house or church. I shared a bit about Christmas in New England last year.

Picture of New England Church during Advent
 Candles are also used in many other ways. Often there is a candlelight service on Christmas Eve at church as well as the Advent wreath candles during Advent. I shared a bit about our Advent wreath a couple of years ago. Many countries especially in Europe use Advent wreaths and/or Advent candles. Countries like Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Belgium often have Advent wreaths as well as the United States. 

Two White Rabbits and West Coast Wild -- Book Reviews

Disclosure: Groundwood Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

I always like books that help us explore a different part of the world or give us a glimpse into another life. Today we are sharing two books that do just that. The first is Two White Rabbits written by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, and translated by Elisa Amado.
http://www.amazon.com/Two-White-Rabbits-Jairo-Buitrago/dp/1554987415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449240085&sr=1-1&keywords=two+white+rabbits


Learning about the Day of the Dead with Books & Crafts

I have 2 current giveaways!! One for an Origami Toy Monsters Book & Kit and the other for 2 DVDs.

 Not being Mexican or even Hispanic and not being Catholic, I did not know much about the Day of the Dead. In fact I found the skeletons a bit creepy. The past few years I have explored the holiday with Hazel and realized what a touching holiday it really is and now I like the skeletons and especially the skulls. This year we took two new books out of the library to explore the holiday a bit more. 


Sharing Saturday 15-18

Have you entered my current giveaway? This is one you do not want to miss!!
Sharing Saturday Button


Thank  you to everyone who shared last week!! I am blown away by the creativity and amazing posts shared. These features are just a sampling of the posts shared. I hope you will go and check them all out! This week our features consist of  May Features, Educational Features and Food and Play Dough Features. 

Multicultural Product Review -- Celebrate Christmas Around the World

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Multicultural Kid Blogs as part of the Multicultural Kids Product Promotion Services. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.


http://multiculturalkidblogs.com/product/celebrate-christmas-around-the-world/

Today I am going to review for you a wonderful Christmas product. It is a e-book/packet to learn about Christmas celebrations in other countries and is published by Multicultural Kid Blogs. It seems like the perfect time to share this with you since we just did our Christmas in Different Lands post yesterday. Plus Christmas is on Hazel's mind. She has been home sick much of this week but started to get bored and decided to play Mary.


Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month


This is the third week of the Hispanic Heritage Month. We are participating in the Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop and Giveaway. You can enter the giveaway here by scrolling down as well. We are sharing something we have done to celebrate or learn about Hispanic cultures each week during the month. Today we are sharing the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. We discovered this story by reading The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe by Pat Mora. There are however many books that discuss the story and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We also have enjoyed thus far Tomie de Paolo's Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here are some other books we found at the library that share some part of the story or how the festivals are celebrated.



Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop--Learning about Juan Quezada a Mexican Potter

Today starts this year's Hispanic Heritage Month. The theme this year is Celebrating Hispanic Heritage with Kids. To do this, I turned to books from the library. Anyone who reads Crafty Moms Share regularly knows I love to read books about other cultures and countries to Hazel. We both love to learn about them.  The first book we are sharing this month is The Pot That Juan Built by Nancy Andrews-Goebel. This is the story of Juan Quezada and his pottery.

Fairy Tales in Different Cultures: Cinderella Tales from Mexico


I have shared with you several Cinderella tales from Mexico as well as many different crafts and such from Mexico. Last April and May I shared two tales that are available in picture book form: Adelita and Domitila. I gave a brief history of Mexico in the Adelita post. Today I am going to share two more Cinderella tales from Mexico. These I found translated in English in Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions by John Bierhorst.

From our Adeltia Post







The first tale is very similar to the Polish Jewish Cinderella tale, The Way Meat Loves Salt by Nina Jaffe. It is called Love Like Salt. In this version it is a king who has three daughters. The king asks his daughters how much each loves him. The eldest says more than the world's gold. The middle daughter says as much as all of her jewelry and the youngest replies as much as salt. The king is angered by his youngest daughter's answer and vows to have her put to death. He sends a servant to take her to the woods and kill her bringing back her little finger and eyes. The servant cannot kill the princess, but has to cut off her little finger and took the eyes from a small dog lost in the forest. She wandered the forest looking for food and shelter. She found a hermit that lived in a cave.  The hermit lets her stay with him. Her life has really changed. She digs roots for food and drinks water directly from the stream and the cave is no palace. One day a lost prince finds her gathering flowers. He is overwhelmed with her beauty and proposes marriage to her. She accepts at once. They go home to his parents and he tells them he wants to marry this girl. They agree and the wedding invitations go out. On the day of the wedding she sees her father has arrived and points him out to the prince. She tells him to have the cooks not put any salt on the food that her father will be served. At the reception, the king complains about the lack of salt. She asks why he cares about salt so much now. He says you cannot eat without salt and she asks if he was ever offended by someone saying they loved him as much as salt. The king remembered his youngest daughter and she told him she was his daughter and shows her missing finger. He begs for forgiveness now realizing how much she meant.

Papel Picados we made last year
The second tale is The Dragon Slayer. This is a tale about a father with three daughters. The youngest daughter has the most beauty and the older two are very jealous. The oldest two take their father's money and hide it under the youngest's mattress while she sleeps and then tells their father when he discovers the missing money where it is. He cannot believe it, but checks anyway. He takes her by the hand with his machete in the other. She begs for her life saying she will go far away. He lets her go. She wandered for miles and eventually sat down to rest and eat the tortillas she had. An old woman came and asked for some food. She tells her to help herself. The old woman tells the girl where to go for work and gives her a magic wand. 
From our Hispanic DIY Musical Instrument Post Last Year

The girl uses the wand to find the castle the woman told her about and gets work in the kitchen. The king was very gloomy however and the girl asks her wand why. She hears that he must send his son, the prince, to be eaten by the seven headed dragon or the dragon will come eat all the people in the kingdom. The girl takes the advice of the wand on how to kill the dragon and manages to kill it. She then asks for the prince's hand in marriage. The king does not want his son to marry a kitchen girl, but he cannot go back on his word and they plan the wedding for the next day. She uses her wand to help get a dress and the wand tells her to ask the Virgin Mary for help. She wakes to find a beautiful gold dress. The prince falls in love with her instantly, but so does the king. The king gets jealous of his son and wants to kill him so he can marry the princess.
Dancing with a Rebozo from last year's post.

The princess uses her wand to find out how she can prevent this and she has to find a giant and get the ring from his tooth. She does this with the help from her wand and the ring gives her the power to change things and she changed the king into a wild pig. The prince shot the pig and went off to win the war his father had sent him to fight. When he returned home he and the princess lived very happily.
From our Adelita Post
Now that concludes our fairy tales for this week. Next week's fairy tale will be on Sunday since Monday is the Virtual Book Club for Kids day. This month's author is Nick Sharratt.


Fairy Tales in Different Cultures--Domitila




Ok, in honor of Cinco de Mayo (one day late) we will do another Mexican Cinderella. This one is called Domitila and the version we read was adopted by Jewell Reinhart Coburn. We had big plans to do lots of Mexican crafts to share with you for Cinco de Mayo, but it didn't happen. I have realized two things, the weather is nice so we want to be outside and Hazel needs time just to play with her toys right now, so most of the crafts will wait until after her school and classes end. Since we shared Adelita, another Mexican Cinderella, two weeks ago, we will not share all the information about Mexico. However I thought it would be fun to share a bit about Cinco de Mayo. 
Fiesta!: Mexico's Great Celebrations
Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for the fifth of May. It is a special holiday in Mexico because it commemorates the day Benito Juarez, who was president of Mexico, led his followers to a temporary victory on May 5, 1862 against the French army led by Archduke Maximilian of Austria in Pueblo. The French did eventually succeed to throw out Juarez, but after pressure from the United States, France withdrew and Maximilian was executed. Juarez returned to Mexico and remained president until his death in 1872.  (Source: Fiesta! Mexico's Great Celebrations by Elizabeth Silverthorne )

Now onto our story for this week: Domitila! One of the things I love about this book is on every other page is a picture and on the word pages there is a beautiful trim with a Spanish phrase on top and the English on the bottom. Each phrase is a piece of good life advice or saying.

On a rancho in the Mexican state of Hidalgo lived a poor farmer and his wife with their only child, a daughter named Domitila. The family worked hard and were very happy together. Her mother always told her, "Do every task with care, and always add a generous dash of love."  Together they built the bricks for their adobe casa. One day there was a very bad storm their house was destroyed and Domitila's mother became ill. Their small corn patch was also destroyed. Her father sent Domitila to the governor's mansion since he heard they were paying well for cooks there and her money could help feed them until they could grow some more corn. 


While cooking in the governor's mansion her cooking skills were recognized and she became the second cook. One night she was in charge of cooking dinner for the abuela and the eldest son of the governor.  The arrogant son was upset at what she served and called for her. The abuela told him to try the food first and he loved it.  The next morning he expected food just as good, but during the night Domitila had been called home since her mother was gravely ill. 
Map of Hidalgo
Source


She arrived home too late to see her mother. She stayed with her father in mourning. In the meantime, the eldest son decided to find the mysterious cook.  He only knew she was a great cook, lived on a rancho in Hidalgo and made beautiful leather pieces. He rode all over Hidalgo in search of her.  An evil widow sent him on a wild goose chase and then went to Domitila's father's casa so she could trick the governor's son into marrying her daughter.


While visiting Domitila's casa, the evil widow ends up tricking Domitila's father into marrying her. Now Domitila has to serve her evil stepmother and lazy stepsister.  Domitila discovers what it is like to work without happiness and love. 


Meanwhile, the governor's son smells the delicious delicacies of Domitila's at the fall fiesta. The women at the fiesta tell him all about Domitila and where to find her. Sure enough he finds her and falls in love with her. They get married and the evil widow and her daughter run away. Domitila's father joins the happy couple at the governor's mansion where they all live happily.

I loved the positive messages throughout the book and that Domitila worked to help her parents. She did not need rescuing by the governor's son. I really enjoyed this story.