Musicians of the Sun

by Gerald McDermott

In this retelling of an Aztec myth, Lord of the Night sends Wind to free the four musicians that the Sun is holding prisoner so they can bring joy to the world

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mythology, Folklore, Music, Fiction, Folk Tales

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Gerald McDermott is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and an expert on mythology. His work often combines bright colors and styles with ancient imagery.

He has created more than 25 books and animated films. His first book, Anansi the Spider, was awarded a Caldecott Honor, and he’s since won the Caldecott Medal for Arrow to the Sun and another Caldecott Honor.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We picked this one up because it was on display at my library during National Native American History Month and I'm so glad we did! Kiddo and I loved hearing the totally-unique-to-us story and seeing all the bright illustrations. We read it so many times that kiddo started to be able to "read" it to me! I'm always a fan of introducing kiddo to other cultures through picture books, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. The text was easy to understand without it feeling like anything important was left out of the story. Just wonderful!

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerald McDermott retells an Aztec myth of how colour and joy came to earth with simple language and gorgeous illustrations.

[Caitlin Riebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that struck me about this book was that the author and the illustrator are the same person. So often I feel that children's books are written by one person and illustrated by another, and it makes me wonder about how books turn out differently when more than one person's ideas are incorporated into telling a story compared to just one person. The use of color in this book is extremely deliberate. For most of the book, the colors are dark since the Sun robbed the world of joy and it is now nighttime. Lord of the Night sends Wind to the Sun on a dangerous journey in order to free the musicians held captive there and replenish the world with joy and life. It is only when the musicians of the sun are summoned down to earth again that the colors on the page change and become vibrant and bright.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked this book out for S in August as he needed to read a folktale from another country as part of his summer reading assignment. We ended up reading a different folktale but finally got around to this one tonight. I always enjoy Gerald McDermott's illustrations, although I thought the colors in this book were more subdued compared to some of his other books. I'd never heard this Aztec story before and it was nice to be introduced to something new. S listened closely to the entire story (not surprising) but I was a little surprised at how well this engaged 3-year-old L as well.

[Ashley Eilers · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) This was a very complex and interesting Aztec myth that gives an explanation of the physical world.
2) I connected to the wind character because he had courage to do what would make the world a better place, even though it was scary.
3) Since this is a fragment of the full myth, I wonder what happens in the full myth?
4)I was surprised that the Lord of Night was the one who wanted light in the world.
5)I loved the illustrations in this book. It incorporated elements of weather, light and color that can be explained through this myth and broaden our student's view of the world.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Musicians of the Sun, I am coming to free you.”

“The world is gray and joyless.” The Lord of the Night charges the wind with going to the house of the Sun and rescuing Blue, Green, Red and Yellow to “Bring them to Earth so the people may hear their music.” It is a dangerous quest, but aided by Turtle Woman, Fish Woman and Alligator Woman, the Wind manages to bring the colors back to the earth. An adaptation of an Aztec tale.

An author’s note in the back describes the history of the tale, including details of the Aztec culture and mythology. Beautiful, vibrant illustrations.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful version of an Aztec folktale about the beginning of the Earth. Lord of the Night feels that the people of Earth are bored and unhappy and begins with the God of the Wind to obtain the musicians of the sun in order to send them there. The Sun resists and fights to maintain his control over the musicians.

[Helen Ladson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so vivid with the beautiful colors of music! Using the primary colors of the Earth, it showcases the majesty of of brilliant world! I love the Aztec feel and flavor that enhances this wonderful read!

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations in lovely, saturated colours. The story is one I had not read/heard before, and that's a major plus.

[Sparrows at Home · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story with colorful illustrations.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those random books Alistair grabs off the shelf and wants to bring home. Turned out to be an interesting myth.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book visually, lyrically. Wondering if I can write a music/drama/movement unit for kids with this....

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids of ISD loved this book.
It gets a lot of circulation.

[Tiffiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool illustrations!

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice retelling of an A.ztec legend. The illustrations seem culturally adequate and the story is easy to follow. A listing of additional resources at the end might have been nice.

[Jocelyn Brame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent source notes, beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended.

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aztec myth that could be used in music (drum, flute, shell, rattles), storytelling and even movement.

[Becky Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musicians of The Sun

Pre-school- 4th grade

Gerald McDermott used acrylic fabric paint, opaque ink and oil pastels on Mexican paper to create his illustrations. The colors in this book are beautiful and energetic. The artwork draws you into the story and almost takes you back to a mythical time. The text is not to overpowering in comparison to the illustrations yet could be considered engrossing enough for a 4th grader. Students will enjoy this story and the simple way it describes an ancient Aztec myth.

Social Studies/Science

Science Example- Have children make a solar system and discuss different aspects of the sun. Have a word wall with words and definitions of all the elements from the book…wind, sun, lightning etc…

[Arsenio Richardson]

This was the biggest book I have chosen. It has a rectangular shape and is big in size. It would not fit on a traditional book shelf. The colors used for the title and pictures are normally identify and related to safari or African colors. Also, the picture on the front is difficult to tell what might be going on and who is involved in the story. The front paper was very intresting because it was nothing like the cover and gave a totally different feeling. This feeling was more like an everlasting night. The color and images used were amazing because the acrylics gave the imaginary look, the images were things I had never seen before and are easy to identify with.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tis book was really cute. it is about the aztec god who has to bring light back to the world by saving the color musicians. The authors note is a great element in this book. It helps the book be good literature as well. In the author’s note it explains the history of the Aztec culture. Then it goes on to tell why their stories were so important. In the note he also tells the meaning of the story. Because of the unique theme, bright colors, and the authors note, I think this book is good traditional literature.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musicians of the Sun is a splendidly stylized and fanciful little book. It's about how the Lord of the Night (aka "King of the Gods" and "Soul of the World") sends the Wind to rescue the four musicians from the Sun, so that they can bring color and light to the world. The story is uplifting, the illustrations are marvelous, and the text reads like poetry. Also, even though he had very little face time, I adore the Lord of the Night. He's quite a round character, considering how small and concise the book is.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful retelling of an ancient Aztec story. It is told in an easy to understand style and the illustrations lend a lot to the telling. The artwork is simple, vibrant, and beautiful. In fact, the book inspired my 6-year-old son (who isn't usually into a lot of art) to re-illustrate the entire story using oil pastels, mimicking the artist's style. I think that speaks volumes for this book, at least for me - good art inspires more art. This book was a great addition to our study of Mexico.

[Angela Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Aztec like illustrations are colorful and they have distinct edges. In this story, the Lord of the Night notices there is sadness that has overcome the Earth. So, he sends the Wind to free the four Musicians of the Sun from the Sun. After the musicians were released, they played and the Earth was filled with sounds and color making the Earth a happy place once again.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an Aztec story about how music, color, and joy came to a dark, cold earth. The Lord of Night sends the Wind to steal musicians from the Sun God. He gives him the tools / weapons he will need to do so. When the Wind succeeds and brings the musicians down to earth, the earth is filled with color and music.

Beautiful illustrations.

[Sephire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that can be read during a folklore unit! It is about the Lord of the Night was upset that the world was sad and boring. So he sends out the wind to go find the four musicians to free them Sun. Children will really like this book.

[Riegs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the art is gorgeous, but this makes for a difficult readaloud if not contextualized first. (Librarian/reader must give some description about what the myth is about and the purpose of creatoin myths.) Might be a useful text to teach myths and creation stories.

[Remi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustration. The combinations of color and beautiful design that calls back to the Aztec heritage, this book has a strong visual narrative. This book I can see being read aloud to a classroom, it commands a presence when being read aloud.

An excellent story.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

vibrant illustrations accompany this lost myth of the Aztecs ~ the author/illustrator finishes the book with notes that completed the tragedy of what was destroyed by Conquistadors when they arrived in the 1500's

[Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord of the Knight asks Wind to free the musicians from the Sun so that the Earth can have joy again....children laugh, women dance, men sing.

[Kim Stroberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about the Aztecs and the Sun Gods and burning of the manuscripts. Maybe could use for sun project, and the