El tapiz de Abuela

by Omar S. Castañeda

A 1993 Parent's Choice Award honoree, this story about the importance of family pride and personal endurance introduces children to the culture of Guatemala through the eyes of little Esperanza, who works with her abuela--her grandmother--on weavings to sell at the public market. Full color throughout.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Latinx, Cultural, Childrens, Spanish Literature, Art

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written with clear love for Guatemala
It’s Dutch childrenbook week and I was visiting the Textile Museum of Canada, where an exhibit was devoted on clothes and books that relate to them.
So I was able to quickly read this small book and visit a museum :-)

For the exhibition the huipil, a traditional kind of jumper with embroidery and a rectangular neckline, was the clothing coupled to the book Abuela’s Weave. Some background on the meaning of this particular item of clothing in an appendix would have been a valuable addition to the book.

The book touches lightly on this traditional piece of clothing since it tells the story of Esperanza, who is preparing for a market sale together with her grandmother.
Although machinisation is up and coming, and she fears that her grandmother will be discriminated against due to a visible birthmark on her face, there is a happy end. The book is told in a fairytale like way, with a clear love for the traditional Guatemala life. Esperanza for instance immediately feels the impact of the city air, with all the car fumes.

The story is quite brief, but the illustrations are really stunning, in a warm colourscheme: very Gauguin like. A nice little read all in all.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esperanze is helping her grandmother (who the locals consider a witch because of a birthmark on her face) weave various items to sell at the market in the upcoming month. The work from sunup past sundown. Abuela tells Esperanza that their work is special because it is handmade and tells the stories of their people. However, when the time comes, Abuela covers herself from head to toe in the event that her birthmark scares the superstitious customers away. Esperanza has to ride the bus to market alone, set up the booth, and sell the product without her grandma. The task is daunting but Esperanza does it, gaining some independence, and she is successful as the patrons are impressed by her gorgeous wares.

Vivid illustrations.

Grades 1-3.

[Phil J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-written book about Mayans weaving and expressing their culture in modern Guatemala.

[Regina Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-Teaching
This book is a great way for students to explore what its like in other cultures. In my lesson, I would direct this book for maybe a 3rd grade class. I would read them the book and while we read the book have them point out the different materials used in the book, the languages spoken, the clothes worn. We would discuss how some other cultures dress and dig deeper into the backgrounds. Once we are done reading and discussing, I would have them look up certain words from the story. In this book it has different words like "Abuela" "huipiles" "gruffly" "Fiesta de Pueblos" and some students may not know what those words are. I would have them pick out at least 3 words and look up the definition of those words.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this lushly illustrated book, Esperanza learns traditional Mayan weaving techniques from her grandmother and brings them to a market in the city to sell. She has two worries as she prepares for the market: the customers might prefer goods that have been made with modern machines, and they might be scared off by her Abuela's birthmark. Esperanza and Abuela go to the market separately. But it turns out that the customers are entranced with the unique weavings made with time, care, and traditional techniques and symbols. Esperanza learns to appreciate the uniqueness and time-worn beauty of her Abuela as well, and they ride back to their village together, holding hands.

This book is a great way to teach about the power of hand-made objects and the beauty of individuality. It also has a lot of references to Mayan culture and history that could be a great jumping off point to do more research and learn about the culture.

[Megan Knippenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated story with references to Guatemalan heritage. References the clash between ancient tradition and modern civilization while paying homage to the art of weaving.

[Ashra Vahora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The grade level is kindergarten. The strong bond between the grandmother and her granddaughters, set against the backdrop of Guatemalan culture. The book follows Esperanza and her abuela (grandmother) as they prepare to sell their handwoven tapestries at the market. Esperanza learns the art of weaving from her abuela, who teaches her the traditional techniques and the significance of their craft. As they work together, Esperanza gains not only weaving skills but also a deeper appreciation for her cultural heritage and the importance of family. The story culminates in their journey to the market, where Esperanza's confidence is tested, and she learns valuable lessons about pride, perseverance, and the strength of family bonds.

[Emily Krafcik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautifully illustrated story that focused a great deal on Guatemalan culture and traditions. This was more of an advanced text, and I wish that there was a glossary to indicate the meaning of certain words like, "huipil". I was able to gather my answer using context clues, but this may be a little difficult for a second or third grader to understand. I liked how this text focused a lot on traditional arts and practices. Esperanza was a confident young girl to go and sell her own weavings without thinking no one would buy them! A nice story with incredibly designed illustrations, I just would have appreciated a glossary or some method of translation.

[China Jones-Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main genre of this book is realistic fiction. Throughout the entirety of this book we have learned of Esperanza and her grandmother through real-life experiences, culture, and traditions in Guatemala. The author portrayed anti-bias perspectives in this book by showing the true culture and celebrations of being Guatemalan showing the respect for indigenous art and family heritage. This challenged stereotypes through it's portrayal of Esperanza and her grandmother as skilled and hardworking. The entirety of this books teaches it's readers to appreciate different ways of life and gives them an understanding that all cultures are unique in their own way!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about a young girl who learns the traditional craft of her culture from her abuela. Esperanza is afraid that nobody will buy her homemade wares when everybody else in the market sells the perfect, machine made goods from the factories. She also thinks that people are too superstitious to buy from her abuela who has a prominent birthmark on her cheek ...
A very thoughtful and beautifully illustrated portrait of Guatemalan culture for children and one of the first in Hispanic children's literature of the early 1990s.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little girl and her grandmother weave beautiful tapestries to sell at the market. But they're worried. With other people making tapestries with machines, will anyone want to buy their handmade crafts?

Ages: 5 - 9

#geography #southamerica #guatemala

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[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl helps her abuela weave huipiles, or traditional Guatemalan shirts to sell at a village festival. The abuela has a birthmark that causes people to accuse her of being a witch so while she weaves high quality hiipiles, she often can’t sell them at reasonable prices. So the granddaughter and abuela arrange for the girl to sell them at a market without buyers realizing that she is related to abuela. Interesting story that highlights Guatemalan culture.

[Becca Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! It shares guatemalan culture by telling a story of Esperanza and her abuela creating a traditional weave textile. The book discussed how the abuela was afraid people wouldn’t buy their creations because of her birthmark on her face. This made me sad, she felt she had to hid herself to be accepted. But then at the end she uncovers her face and feels happy with her granddaughter.

[Sara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that introduces a new culture to children. This book incorporates a different language and history. The illustrations are colorful and captivating that helps elaborate on the culture describes in the story. This would be an excellent book to share with older elementary students who can understand the differences between cultures.

[Lauren Hanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexile: AD960L
Great illustrations, and also great storytelling how some cultures have to travel far to make a living. Definitely recommend it if you're looking to add books of different cultures to your library.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Love this book for ages four on up to fifth or sixth grade. A great review of the Maya life in an engaging and delightful way. The art is amazing. This is one that gets asked to be read and reread a lot. A beautiful book that should be in every curriculum + every library.

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The story is very nice, and could be a good book for elementary age students to read on their own. Admittedly, I was hoping for a richer mix of English and Spanish. But the story is sweet and the art is nice.

[Reanna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade pre k- 2nd
Genre realistic fiction
I didn’t really enjoy this book that much, although the color and illustrations were pretty and had meaning behind them. This would not be a book that I would pick up again.

[Ashley Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for Hispanic heritage month. A story of a granddaughter who needs to sell weaves at the market for her grandmother. The grandmother has a birthmark on her face so some people are superstitious that she’s a witch.

[Maya Grzywinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to introduce Guatemalan culture to the classroom. Its a meaningful story, showing the relationship between a girl and her abuela and her influence on her village. Teaches students vocabulary and can look at the traits of the characters in the story.

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and colorful story about a young girl who learns to weave from her Abuela. They weave together and go to the market to sell their wares. A beautiful story.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful children’s book about the process of making a livelihood through backstrap weaving in Guatemala.

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos/drawing. Story short and sweet. Very colorful

[Zoe Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful because of its pictures and contents. The colors in the illustrations are vibrant and eye catching. Reading this book you learn a lot about culture and family.

[Janin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story under a shadow of superstition. You half wish it was addressed and corrected-- but this is more like how it is dealt with in reality.

[Sophia Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the colours. Was a bit wordy for me, but liked being introduced to words in other languages.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Not great that it depended on someone hiding a skin discoloration.

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book about Esperanza and her abuela was one about family, tradition, and culture. It talked about how they wove intricate weaves of color from dawn until into the night to sell at the market. It talked about the hard work that they put in in order to make a little money for their family. The subject of handcraft goods versus machine-made goods was also brought up, and the problems that that caused Esperanza and her grandmother. I enjoyed this book because I like to learn about other cultures and the way of life in other countries. I think many children would enjoy this book because it is different than most books they usually read, and it has very colorful illustrations.

[Rachel Erlandsen]

The most prominent theme within the book that I noticed right away was that of commitment. Both Esperanza and her grandmother are committed to making their fabrics and clothing by weaving, even though a lot of clothing is made within factories and not by hand. And Esperanza also shows commitment when she is unable to find a proper place within the market to hang all of her items. I think that this is a great book to read to young students, because it gives the message that hard work pays off in the long run.
Another great element to the book is that it contains words in Spanish without providing immediate examples or definitions of what the words are. This would require the reader to utilize the context of the surrounding sentence or other words to figure out the meaning of the word in Spanish. This is a good skill for students to practice and perfect.
This book also has very vibrant colors and beautiful pictures, which make it visually appealing.