Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth

by Duncan Tonatiuh

Overview

Award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings an ancient Mesoamerican creation myth to life in the picture book Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns.

Long ago, the gods of Mesoamerica set out to create humans. They tried many times during each sun, or age. When all their attempts failed and the gods grew tired, only one did not give up: Quetzalcóatl—the Feathered Serpent. To continue, he first had to retrieve the sacred bones of creation guarded by Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the underworld. Gathering his staff, shield, cloak, and shell ornament for good luck, Feathered Serpent embarked on the dangerous quest to create humankind.

Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life the story of Feathered Serpent, one of the most important deities in ancient Mesoamerica. With his instantly recognizable, acclaimed art style and grand storytelling, Tonatiuh recounts a thrilling creation tale of epic proportions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419746772
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	254,911
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author-illustrator. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His artwork is inspired by pre-Columbian art. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past but are relevant to today’s people, especially children. His books include A Land of Books, Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns, and Separate Is Never Equal. He currently lives in San Miguel with his family but travels in the United States often.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Tonatiuh’s familiar flat-perspective digitally collaged illustrations are particularly strong on the designerly element here, ranging from the playful. . .to the rhythmic elegance of the silhouetted fish and birds."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Tonatiuh’s illustration style draws on Nahua visual writing systems, emulating the symmetry, balanced lines, and prominent profile and aerial viewpoints found in Indigenous codices. . .reward[s] careful examination as textures pop and engage the viewer."

Horn Book Magazine

"Modern touches and warm color palette make for vibrant, expressive spreads. Wondrous landscapes magnify Quetzalcóatl's formidable and heroic quest... With prose that is accessible and has the abiding quality of myth, Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns feels both classic and refreshing."

Shelf Awareness

**STARRED REVIEW**
"While the tale itself will appeal to lovers of adventure and myth, the author’s note adds an important historical and cultural depth that should not be bypassed. Feathered Serpent has all the literary elements of a good story and can be used to teach genre, narrative, history, or just quality literature."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"While the tale itself will appeal to lovers of adventure and myth, the author’s note adds an important historical and cultural depth that should not be bypassed. Feathered Serpent has all the literary elements of a good story and can be used to teach genre, narrative, history, or just quality literature."—Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Tonatiuh’s familiar flat-perspective digitally collaged illustrations are particularly strong on the designerly element here, ranging from the playful. . .to the rhythmic elegance of the silhouetted fish and birds."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Tonatiuh’s illustration style draws on Nahua visual writing systems, emulating the symmetry, balanced lines, and prominent profile and aerial viewpoints found in Indigenous codices. . .reward[s] careful examination as textures pop and engage the viewer." —Horn Book Magazine

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Tonatiuh’s artwork—familiar in form, electric in spirit—astonishes in this retelling of a Mesoamerican creation story. Told with succinct clarity and a hint of mischief, this rendition begs for rereads... Simply spellbinding." —Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Hand-drawn, digitally collaged art, incorporating Mesoamerican styles and motifs, deepens the power of Tonatiuh’s tale, a tantalizing slice of Mesoamerica’s rich stories." —Publishers Weekly

"Modern touches and warm color palette make for vibrant, expressive spreads. Wondrous landscapes magnify Quetzalcóatl's formidable and heroic quest... With prose that is accessible and has the abiding quality of myth, Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns feels both classic and refreshing."—Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

**STARRED REVIEW**
"While the tale itself will appeal to lovers of adventure and myth, the author’s note adds an important historical and cultural depth that should not be bypassed. Feathered Serpent has all the literary elements of a good story and can be used to teach genre, narrative, history, or just quality literature."

Booklist Review

★ 2020-06-30
The elders say that humanity currently resides in the fifth tonatiuh, or sun. Here’s the story of how humans came to be.

The preceding four tonatiuhs bore witness to failed trials. First, the gods covered sacred bones with mud, but these giant humans proved too fragile, becoming mountains in the end. The second set of humans, smaller than the first, developed into fish. Under the third tonatiuh, the enraged gods turned the rebellious humans into monkeys. The fourth tonatiuh resulted in the latest, lazy humans assuming the form of birds. At this point, the gods conceded any hope of creating humans, all except for Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent. Taking along his staff, shield, cloak, and shell ornament, Feathered Serpent travels to Mictlán, the underworld, to retrieve the sacred bones from Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of the underworld. To reach where Mictlantecuhtli dwells, Feathered Serpent journeys through nine regions, each region a test of his bravery and perseverance. Accompanied by a dog spirit guide named Xólotl, Feathered Serpent succeeds in his journey. Full of warm landscapes bathed under the sun’s light, multicolored night skies set against stars, and cavernous walls of rugged browns, Tonatiuh’s artwork—familiar in form, electric in spirit—astonishes in this retelling of a Mesoamerican creation story. Told with succinct clarity and a hint of mischief, this rendition begs for rereads. Here’s a new high-water mark for the artist. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads reviewed at 77.1% of actual size.)

Simply spellbinding. (author’s note, glossary, select bibliography) (Picture book/cosmology. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews