Two Mountains

by Eric A. Kimmel

Two married gods disobey their orders and visit Earth. They are turned into mortals as punishment and eventually become mountains so that they will always stand side by side.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Mythology

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Eric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting that this story is so different from Duncan Tonatiuh's book The Princess and the Warrior about the same two volcanic mountains outside Mexico City. I guess there can be more than one legend about a place. I think I like this story less because it is very didactic about obedience with possible connections to the Fall of Man in the Bible. Taken on its own, it's a fine folk legend.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of picture books depicting folktales from diverse cultures. This one, though... is both harsh and a bit boring for the format.

[Kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solidly good. My kids thought it was sad.

[Harold Ogle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good retelling of an Aztec myth, which is both a variation on the Eden story and an explanation of local geography. The two young lovers are banished from heaven for willful disobedience, becoming mortal and having to toil to survive. Then the wife grows old and starts to die. Her husband carries her to the top of a mountain to be closer to their original home, and her shrouded form becomes a snow-capped peak. He won't leave her side, lighting a torch to mark his vigil, and in death he is transformed into a neighboring volcano cone. The art work is well done in this book, and I recommend it, particularly for fans of Nahuatl or names in general: the character names are a lot of fun to say.

[Abbi Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has very difficult pronunciations throughout, but that is its only fault in my opinion. It is a great tale of two Aztec gods who fall in love and get bannished to the Earth to live human lives together. They eventually turn into mountains. It is another really interesting Native American tale about how the Earth came together. Great read!

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned you should always be obedient to your parents or you could get into trouble.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was happy and it was sad. The illustrations really help explain the story.

[Cana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy says; Parents be sure to read the last page FIRST for a pronunciation guide to the tongue twister Aztec names that you will be reading over and over again.

[Rev Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad legend.No hope in that story.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather sad and rather harsh Aztec myth lushly illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators.

[Colleen]

Earth - unit 2
Leveled Books - Intermediate