Duncan Tonatiuh

Tonatiuh, D. (2010). Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin. New York:

Abrams Books for Young Readers.
With his first book Tonatiuh takes the classic tale of city mouse country mouse and re-tells it in light of
his own experience. After growing up in Mexico he came to New York for university. He lived in an
area of New York with a high population of South American immigrants. While going to and from
school he noticed that children who looked just like him were growing up under very different
circumstances and yet with some similarities characteristic of most childhoods. The tale is meant to
compare and contrast the lives of those on each side of the border and challenge readers to consider the
experiences of both. The book is especially useful for its advocacy of empathy and analysis of
opportunity.
Tonatiuh, D. (2011). Diego Rivera: His World and Ours. New York:
Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Tonatiuh admired Diego Rivera for his ability to straddle the ancient and the modern. His work was
innovative while paying homage to Mexican identity and cultural antiquity. Tonatiuh created his second
book with the intention of inspiring young artists to treasure their identity while finding their place in the
modern world. The story does this by lifting up Diego Rivera as a model artist while Tonatiuhs
illustrations provide perfect accompaniment with their own Mesoamerican style.
Tonatiuh, D. (2013). Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrants Tale.
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Perhaps Tonatiuhs most challenging content work is done through the tale of Pancho Rabbit and his
journey north to find better fields. The story is a parable of the modern trafficking mexican immigrants
experience in their search to find provision for their families. The coyote is a traditional figure used in
Mexican trickster folklore. Immigrant smugglers are also colloquially referred to as coyotes and often
have the same conniving and deceitful characters as their folklore counterparts. Tonatiuh creates a
beautiful story of loss and journey in exploring the risks Pancho Rabbit is willing to take due to his love
of family. Initially the children connect with the tale on a mythological level but when prompted the
story can become an opening point for discussions on the difficult experiences migrant workers face as
they cross the border and leave family behind.
Tonatiuh, D. (2014). Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her
Familys Fight for Desegregation. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.
The courage and tenacity of Sylvia Mendez are honored through this tale of desegregation. Although
desegregation itself is not a foreign concept in American classrooms Tonatiuh challenges the traditional
narrative which suggests only African-Americans were oppressed through the separate but equal legal
policy of early education. The story is an important contribution for beginning to see Americas history
of oppression and growth from multiple angles.

Awards

2011 Pura Belpre honorable mention for Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin.
Americas Award Commended Title for Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin.
Parents Choice Book Award for Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.
2012 Pura Belpre illustration award for Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.
2012 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Childrens Book Award for Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.
2014 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Childrens Book Award for Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A

Migrants Tale.

 Pura Belpre Award illustration and text honorbale mention for Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A

Migrants Tale.

Ambassador for El Da de los Nios

Classroom Implications
Stories and illustrations provide a counter-narrative to the dominant account of American experience.
Mexican-Americans have an opportunity to see themselves in the classroom, as people of value, as
people who have something to say, and as those who have something important to contribute.
Use of Spanish language positively affirms alternatives to the English only prejudice in American
culture.
Cultural artifacts provide opportunities for Latin American children to contribute their own
understanding of worldview and cultural knowledge to classroom discussion.
Classroom power dynamics are positively disrupted as the teacher becomes a learner along with
children.
Complex stories related to real-life love and struggle enable students opportunities to be vulnerable in a
safe space and with assurance their story is not unique to them.
Children gain a broader understanding of American life as bigger and older than the settlement of white
Americans.
Empathy and sensitivity to justice issues are developed through well-told and powerful stories of real
peoples experiences.

Reflection:
What new ideas/concepts I learned

Why it matters

What questions I have

What I can do