Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.
For a long time, Guatemala has had an important place in my heart. My son has raised a beautiful family there, and I believe that when you love the places you visit, the land gives back that love in the form of unforgettable experiences.
Mayan temples, majestic volcanoes, most of them active, with the heat throbbing inside them, contrast with the lush green of the tropical forests. Rivers and lakes meander through the mountains, ending in breathtaking waterfalls, which naturally sustain the extensive coffee and corn crops.
Corn is the daily bread of Guatemala and the main food for the entire indigenous population throughout the year. Many varieties are grown, and they all are of different colors. The local women make delicious white, yellow, black, and red corn tortillas.
The inhabitants of this beautiful country are kind and loving.
I met Juanita one sunny morning. That day, Lake Atitl n woke up slowly, and we quietly sailed away, visiting the small villages that surround the lake. When we arrived in Santa Catarina Palop , a pretty seven-year-old girl with jet-black hair and a gummy smile-she was missing two of her baby teeth-was sitting on the pier, wearing a beautiful huipil embroidered in blue tones. She looked like a little Mayan princess sitting on a wooden throne.
The huipil is a square piece of cloth with a hole in the center. Guatemalan women and girls wear it as a blouse, and in each region they weave them in different colors.
Juanita sold woven cotton bracelets. She did it to help her mother, who sat on the floor weaving a few meters away from her, while she rocked to sleep a tiny baby that she was carrying on her back.
Back in Spain, with a head full of memories, the words began to take shape on paper, until Juanita came to form a part of this little tale.
--Lola Walder
Una m gica historia de una ni a de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de ma z y contar estrellas cada noche.
Desde hace tiempo, Guatemala forma parte de mi coraz n: mi hijo ha formado all una bonita familia y creo que cuando uno ama los lugares que visita, la tierra devuelve ese amor en forma de vivencias inolvidables.
Templos mayas, majestuosos volcanes, la mayor a activos, con el calor palpitando dentro de ellos, contrastan con el verde de los bosques tropicales. R os y lagos serpentean entre monta as por las que se escapan impresionantes cascadas de agua, alimentando de forma natural los extensos cultivos de caf y ma z.
El ma z es el pan de Guatemala y el principal alimento para toda la poblaci n ind gena a lo largo del a o. Se cultivan muchas variedades y todas son de diferentes colores. Las mujeres preparan unas deliciosas tortitas de ma z blanco, amarillo, negro y colorado.
Los habitantes de este precioso pa s son amables y cari osos.
A Juanita la conoc una ma ana de sol. Ese d a el lago Atitl n despert tranquilo, navegamos en calma, visitando los peque os pueblos que rodean el lago. Al llegar a Santa Catarina Palop , una preciosa ni a de siete a os con el pelo negro azabache y la sonrisa mellada --le faltaban dos dientecitos-- nos esperaba sentada en el embarcadero; vest a un precioso huipil bordado en tonos azules. Realmente parec a una peque a princesa maya sentada en un trono de madera.
El huipil es un trozo de tela cuadrado con un agujero en el centro. Las mujeres y ni as guatemaltecas lo usan como blusa y en cada regi n los tejen de diferente colores.
Juanita vend a pulseras trenzadas de algod n, lo hac a para ayudar a su mam , que a pocos metros de ella tej a sentada en el suelo, mientras mec a a un beb de pocos meses que portaba a su espalda.
De vuelta a Espa a, con la memoria empapada de recuerdos, las letras empezaron a correr por el papel hasta que Juanita form parte de esta peque a historia.
--Lola Walder
Synopsis
A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.
Juanita lived in Santa Catarina Palop , a pretty little village next to a beautiful lake, surrounded by three huge volcanoes. She loved her pueblo and their people. Women there helped their families by weaving huipiles from silk, wool, and cotton thread while men worked the land. Juliana wanted to be of help, so she always cooked for her family her favorite meal, tortillas. At night, when the sun cleared the way for the moon to shine bright, Juliana would run onto the roof of the house for her nighttime routine: counting stars. The sky was so clear she could almost touch it.
But one day, Juanita's mom became very ill, and she couldn't work at her loom. Juanita wanted to help but didn't know how to. It appears the sky had been listening to her all the time and had a big surprised stored for her...
La m gica historia de una ni a de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de ma z y contar estrellas cada noche.
Juanita viv a en Santa Catarina Palop , un pueblito encantador junto a un hermoso lago, rodeado por tres enormes volcanes. Para ella era el mejor lugar del mundo donde viv a la gente m s buena. Las mujeres ayudaban a sus familias tejiendo huipiles de seda, lana e hilo de algod n, mientras los hombres trabajaban la tierra. Juliana quer a ser de ayuda, y por eso siempre cocinaba para su familia su plato favorito: las tortillas de ma z. Por la noche, cuando el sol se marchaba para dejar camino a la luna, Juliana corr a escaleras arriba hacia el tico para su rutina nocturna: contar estrellas. El cielo estaba tan despejado que casi pod a tocarlo.
Pero un d a, la mam de Juanita se puso muy enferma y no pod a trabajar en su telar. Juanita quer a ayudar pero no sab a c mo. Al parecer, el cielo la hab a estado escuchando todo el tiempo y ten a una gran sorpresa preparada para ella...
Synopsis
A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.
The author is emotionally linked to Guatemala and has wanted to locate this small and tender story among the villages and natural landscapes of that beautiful land located in the extreme north-west of Central America. There lives a girl, Juanita, inspired by a young woman she met on one of her trips, the protagonist helps her mother in the kitchen that in that land revolves mainly around corn from the last harvest, she walks without fear of crossing the streets (there is hardly any traffic), and, above all, she dedicates a good part of her nights, after dinner, to the hobby she enjoys the most: observing the millions of stars that can be seen from his rooftop. A simple and happy life that, unfortunately, suffers a small setback. Nothing that cannot solve that iron friendship with the stars, who cause a surprising event that will help redirect the situation ...
La m gica historia de una ni a de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de ma z y contar estrellas cada noche.
La autora, está ligada emocionalmente a Guatemala y ha querido localizar esta pequeña y tierna historia entre las aldeas y parajes naturales de esa bella tierra situada en el extremo noroccidental de América Central. Allí vive una niña, Juanita, inspirada en una joven que conoció en uno de sus viajes, la protagonista ayuda a su mamá en la cocina que en aquella tierra gira, principalmente, en torno al maíz de la última cosecha, pasea sin miedo a cruzar las calles (apenas hay circulación), y, sobre todo, dedica buena parte de sus noches, después de cenar, a la afición con la que más disfruta: observar las millones de estrellas que pueden verse desde su azotea. Una vida sencilla y feliz que, lamentablemente, sufre un pequeño revés. Nada que no pueda solucionar esa férrea amistad con los astros, quienes provocan un hecho sorprendente que ayudará a reconducir la situación...
Synopsis
Gold Medal in the 2021 International Latino Book Awards. A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.
Juanita lived in Santa Catarina Palop , a pretty little village next to a beautiful lake, surrounded by three huge volcanoes. She loved her pueblo and their people. Women there helped their families by weaving huipiles from silk, wool, and cotton thread while men worked the land. Juanita wanted to be of help, so she always cooked for her family her favorite meal, tortillas. At night, when the sun cleared the way for the moon to shine bright, Juanita would run onto the roof of the house for her nighttime routine: counting stars. The sky was so clear she could almost touch it.
But one day, Juanita's mom became very ill, and she couldn't work at her loom. Juanita wanted to help but didn't know how to. It appears the sky had been listening to her all the time and had a big surprise stored for her...
Medalla de Oro en los International Latino Book Awards de 2021. La m gica historia de una ni a de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de ma z y contar estrellas cada noche.
Juanita viv a en Santa Catarina Palop , un pueblito encantador junto a un hermoso lago, rodeado por tres enormes volcanes. Para ella era el mejor lugar del mundo donde viv a la gente m s buena. Las mujeres ayudaban a sus familias tejiendo huipiles de seda, lana e hilo de algod n, mientras los hombres trabajaban la tierra. Juanita quer a ser de ayuda, y por eso siempre cocinaba para su familia su plato favorito: tortitas de ma z. Por la noche, cuando el sol se marchaba para abrir paso a la luna, Juanita corr a escaleras arriba hacia el tico para su rutina nocturna: contar estrellas. El cielo estaba tan despejado que casi pod a tocarlo.
Pero un d a, la mam de Juanita se puso muy enferma y no pod a trabajar en su telar. Juanita quer a ayudar pero no sab a c mo. Al parecer, el cielo la hab a estado escuchando todo el tiempo y ten a una gran sorpresa preparada para ella...