CHILD OF THE FLOWER-SONG PEOPLE: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua by Gloria Amescua. Illus by Duncan Tonatiuh.  New York: Abrams Books, 2021.  32p.  ISBN 978-141974020-6 hc. $18.99      Gr. 3-6     j897.4  or j921

This history of the Nahua people of Mexico, descendants of the Aztecs who were conquered by Spanish explorers and assimilated into Spanish culture, parallels the Native American experience in the United States.  In both countries, the displacement of native people was taking place from the late 1800's into the mid-1900s.  All of the customs and Nahuatl language that Luz Jimenez grew up with were replaced by modern job skills and the Spanish language.  Although Luz excelled at school, she didn't forget her heritage and aspired to teach the Nahua customs and stories to new generations.  With unwavering perseverance, Luz became an model for artists who wanted to depict the Nahua lifestyles in their art, and was also recognized as a source of historical folklore.  The illustrations are designed after several famous Mexican artists of the period, such as Diego Rivera, Fernado Leal, and Jose Maria Urbina.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI