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 Mini Bio (75 words)

Gloria Amescua (Ah MES qua) is an author, poet and educator. Her picture book biography, CHILD OF THE FLOWER-SONG PEOPLE: LUZ JIMÉNEZ, DAUGHTER OF THE NAHUA (illustrator, Duncan Tonatiuh) was awarded a Pura Belpré Author Honor.  It also was a co-winner of the Américas Award and ILA Alma Flor Ada winner. It was a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, ALSC Notable Books and various Best of Nonfiction/Informative lists 2021/2022 and a SCBWI Golden Kite Finalist.

Bio (150 words)

Gloria Amescua (Ah MES qua) has been a writer since she was a child, writing poems and stories throughout her life. She loves books that reach a young person’s heart, head or funny bone and strives to do just that in her writing. Gloria’s debut picture book biography, Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams Books), was awarded a Pura Belpré Author Honor.   It was also a co-winner of the Américas Award, and received three International Latino Book Awards (English): Alda Flor Ada (Gold), Best Educational (Gold) and Most Inspirational (Bronze). Her book received three starred reviews and was also a 2022 SCBWI Golden Kite finalist. It was listed as a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, ALA Notable Books, SLJ’s Best Books 2021 and various other Best of Nonfiction/Informative lists for 2021/2022. Gloria is an educator, poet and children’s book writer. 

Blurb for Book 

Child Of The Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter Of The Nahua is a moving, beautifully illustrated biography that tells the remarkable story of how model and teacher Luz Jiménez became “the spirit of Mexico”—a living link between the indigenous Nahua and the rest of the world. Luz became a model for internationally celebrated 20th-century artists and worked with scholars to preserve Nahuatl language and stories. Through her deep pride in her roots and her unshakeable spirit, the world came to recognize the beauty and strength of her people. 

Quotes and Reviews

Gloria Amescua narrates the amazing life of Luz Jiménez with lyrical beauty that echoes the very xochicuicatl—ancestral Nahua poetics—that Luz sought to preserve for her people. Child of the Flower-Song People deftly balances fascinating biographical moments with an earnest sense of social justice for the indigenous people of Mexico. Duncan Tonatiuh’s now famous codex-style art, drawn from his own Nahua heritage, makes the story and message even more poignant.

David Bowles, author of My Two Border Towns. www.davidbowles.us

Occasionally, a picture book biography comes along about an unlikely hero from the past who inspires a contemporary reckoning of conscience. Such is the case with Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, by Gloria Amescua and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. Threaded with cultural insights, poetic language, and stylized art, Jiménez comes to life—her cultural contributions as a model for Mexico’s most notable artists, as a teacher, and as Nahua storyteller preserving her Indigenous language. Layered within this inspiring tale are the harsh realities of the Mexican Revolution, government schools, and the forced assimilation of Indigenous people. A timely and thought-provoking true story. 

Donna Janell Bowman, author of King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara—Bank Street Best Books of 2020 list and other award-winning books. www.donnajanellbowman.com

“Through Child of the Flower-Song People, Gloria Amescua carries on the legacy of her subject, Luz Jiménez, by modeling exquisite writing and teaching Nahuatl culture.”

"Child of the Flower-Song People is a gift to young readers, all of whom should know how Luz Jiménez carried on the skills, beauty, and pride of native Mexican people."

Cynthia Levinson, author of The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art and others. https://cynthialevinson.com/books

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Book Info 

Child of the Flower-Song People:

Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua

By Gloria Amescua; illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh

Text copyright © 2021 Gloria Amescua

Illustrations copyright © 2021 Duncan Tonatiuh

Book design by Heather Kelly

Primary, intermediate. Abrams 48pp.

Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York

ISBN 978-1-4197-4020-6 $18.99

e-book ed. 978-1-68335-738-4 $15.54

Pub date: Aug 17th 2021