Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish - Hardcover

"It's hard to take one's eyes off this book, the wood sculptures are so appealing, so re-readings are probable." --Chicago Tribune "Direct and charming." --Publisher's Weekly "A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries. As a work of art, its display will enhance art exhibits and cultural programs as part of Hispanic Heritage Month or Children's Day/Book Day celebrations." --Kirkus Reviews "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books is pleased to announce at Cynthia Weill's Opuestos is on its list of 2009 winners of the Blue Ribbon Award." --Blue Ribbon 2009, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "This attractive volume conveys the concept in a unique and inviting fashion and provides youngsters with an introduction to some Mexican art in the process." --School Library Journal "Opuestos is cultural immersion education philosophy at its most creative level. Designed for preschool to kindergarten age levels, Opuestos will appeal to a wide variety of interests and tastes." --Midwest Book Review "A is for apple. Scratch that. Armadillo. That's pronounced ar-ma-dee-yo in a set of vibrant books that use Mexican folk art to teach basic concepts of Spanish. The first book, AbeCedarios, published in 2007 by Cinco Puntos Press, focuses on the alphabet. Each letter is represented by an animal carved and painted by the Jimenez family of Oaxaca. In the process, English speakers can learn, for example, that P is for penguin, or el pinguino." --San Antonio Express News "Capturing the imagination of young readers is never easy, yet Cynthia Weill, celebrated author...has done just that with her latest book, OPUESTOS: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish." --Dwight Englewood School "The pages are brightly colored with large easy-to-read print. The creatures, ranging from dogs and bulls to a moth, are cheerfully painted...Though this book clearly targets the youngest of audiences, it could easily be used in a Spanish language classroom to teach vocabulary in a manner which would actually stick with the students. This book could also be used in an art class unit about folk art." --Library Media Connection "A beautiful, playful, childcentric approach to language learning--and if it spawns conversations about dialects, so much the better." --Kirkus Reviews "This interactive picture book is sure to be a young crowd-pleaser and storytime favorite." --School Library Journal "Bilingual, colorful, inviting, absolutely adorable--and definitely child-centric--these libritos will capture and hold the attention of the littlest to the biggest kids (and adults alike--I keep coming back to them, and I'm known to be hard to please). All are highly recommended." --De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children

"Direct and charming."-Publishers Weekly Cynthia Weill's book of Mexican folk art teaches kids about opposites in Spanish and English! These whimsical little animals from Oaxaca, carved and painted by hand, make learning about opposites fun. Up and down, tall and short, left and right-all inside a beautiful book. Cynthia Weill is an educator and art historian whose expertise is the work of indigenous artisans from all over the world. She is the co-author of the very successful ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in Spanish and English, the first book of her Folk Art for Teaching Kids series, and of Ten Mice for Tet (Chronicle Books, 2003). She lives in New York City. "This second work by one of the authors of ABeCedarios (2007) follows its predecessor's highly praised concept and design. Pages on the left side introduce children to a word in English and Spanish, as pages on the right side present its opposite: Asleep/Dormido (a spotted dog snoozes)/AwakeDespierto (the same dog, eyes wide open and tail sticking up). "Concepts are illustrated with photographs of unique hand-painted animal carvings created individually by Oaxacan artists Quirino and Martin Santiago. The contrast between the text colors and the bright background combines with the imaginary dialogue that children can establish with the vivacious folk-art figures to make this bilingual edition another outstanding entry in the First Concepts with Mexican Folk Art series. On some pages an external element-a sun or a moon, for instance-expands on such concepts as Day/Dia and Night/Noche. "A great selection for bilingual storytimes at preschools, elementary schools and public libraries. As a work of art, its display will enhance art exhibits and cultural programs as part of Hispanic Heritage Month or Children's Day/Book Day celebrations." -Kirkus Reviews