Recently we received an excerpt from Gina's novel. It's a semi-autobiographical story of a family vacation to Mexico in the 60's.

Maybe if we all clap our hands she'll actually finish it.

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A VW bus rolled into the parking area and stopped next to theirs. Two boys tumbled out of the back and ran off toward the ruins. A man and woman emerged from the front. They were speaking English. Painted on the side of the bus was an outline map of United States with the individual states outlined as well. Some of the state maps were filled in with solid colors.

Marian and Enrique struck up a conversation with the couple. Their family was driving around the country much like Gina's family. The U. S. states they had traveled through were painted as a record of their travels. Their bus was a real camper with built-in beds, table and a true refrigerator. The man pointed to a hole in the rear side door. "Can you guess what this is?" Nobody ventured a guess. "I drilled this hole so we don't need to stop every time the boys need to pee". Inside he pointed to a funnel that attached to a hose that snaked through the door to the outside.

Gina and Rosie took a step back. The painted map lost its appeal as they realized that the smeary streaks on the side of the vehicle weren't the result of splatter from the wheels. Gina was horrified, but heartened to learn that there were stranger families than hers.

The Review --

Throughout history fables and tales have been told by humans about the animals. A sub-genre of these tales gives humorous reasons why certain animals gained their characteristics, such as a giraffe long ago getting his head stuck in a tree and his neck stretched out and thus all giraffes have been born with long necks ever since.

This book takes a different tack. It looks at human development through the eyes of animals. Which isn't that far from the truth. Humans have studied how birds flew to define the dynamics of flight. Bees were studied to develop air conditioning. And the list goes on.

The "Two-Legs" that are studied by the animals seem to be Native Americans as the wigwam and other developments were those developed by the Native Americans.

A different animal relates each tale of human development. An example is the turtle telling about how Two-Legs developed the wigwam (basically a house carried on the back). Possum relates how Two-Legs created the board to carry the babies like possums carry their young on their back. A woodpecker tells us how Two-Legs came to carve out the first canoe.

Children will enjoy these delightful tales.

The review

"Legends of Two-Legs" is author illustrator Rosario Aguilera Lewis' second published book, written about Native American prehistory in the Eastern forests of North America. The stories are told in the form of tales told by the animals of the forest about "Two-Legs." All the stories have underlying truths about early human survival skills that have been historically documented. Told in a way that children will remember and enjoy, "Legends of Two-Legs" delivers a complex message about early human life risks and balances in America's dim past. Two-Legs survival is a miracle that mystifies the animals. Will Two -Legs continue to survive today, along with the animals? Perhaps there is a secret here to be rediscovered about living as part of a vast natural network of life. The tales are enhanced by the detailed black and white woodcut style, primitive-effect illustrations.

Nicio and Cedar Fire Review

Legends of Two-Legs press release

Nicio and Cedar Fire will be displayed this weekend (1/15/10-1/18/10) at the American Library Association Miidwinter Conference in Boston. 

Nicio and Cedar Fire got a very nice review from Midwest Book Review.   (They could use better proofreading, though.)

From their site:

"Nicio and the Cedar Fire" is a modern Native American fable based on actual events and experiences relating to the October, 2003 wildfire in the San Diego county area called the Cedar Fire. Nicio lives in the fire -threatened area and decides to stay to fight the fire when orders for evacuation come. His sisters and brother on the east coast are very worried about him, for news is unable to cover all the danger and devastation of the fires. As danger from the raging fire flames rises, Nicio prepares to do battle calmly, wearing his firefighter's uniform and attaching two eagle feathers to his protective hat. He burns sage and prays for rain in a sacred ceremony. On the east coast, his siblings also pray for rain and for his safety. Nicio experiences a strange series of visions of old, Mesoamerican deities, beings of immense and ancient power. Finally, his prayers for rain are answered by the Thunderbird, who brings the prayed -for rain. "Nicio and the Cedar Fire" is beautiful told and hauntingly illustrated by the sisters of the fire-warrior Nicio. "Nicio and the Cedar Fire" is a treasure trove of PreColumbian religious figures of myth and mystery. It is also a fascinating example of a courageous man weaving his life from a fabric enriched by ancient memories in dangerous modern times. "Nicio and the Cedar Fire" is appropriate for children ages 6 and up.

Nicio (the person) sold 125 copies of Nicio (the book) to the Indian Health Council of Valley Center, CA. Way to go!