About this item
Every ABC book worth its cover price is bound to have bright colors and big letters But not every ABC book has magical hand-carved animals to illustrate every letter And very few alphabet books present those letters in more varieties than English Very few alphabet books except the ABeCedarios that is In this brightly colored book the alphabet is presented in both Spanish and English and includes the four additional lettersmdashand whimsical animalsmdashthat make the Spanish alphabet so much funThe famous folk artists brothers Moiss and Armando Jimnez carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios Working with their wives and children in the beautiful village of Arrazola in Oaxaca Mexico they carved and painted each enchanting animal by hand For many centuries people in Oaxaca have carved wood to make toys and household objects However it was Moiss and Armandorsquos grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving Cynthia Weill works at Teachers College Columbia University in New York City She is the co-author with Pegi Deitz Shea of Ten Mice for Tet Chronicle Books a book inspired by the Vietnamese embroidery she saw while working in international relief in Hanoi Vietnam She is trained as an art historian and studies the process of folk artisans around the world K B Basseches is an artist photographer and art educator She was an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Art Education and served as a staff photographer at the Smithsonian Institution in the Portrait Gallery in Washington DC Basseches has exhibited throughout the mid-Atlantic region and in the Los Angeles area She lives in Richmond Virginia with her young son and husband.
About the Author
Thank you for your interest in my books! My work features the handicrafts of artisans from Mexico and Vietnam. The books teach children basic concepts such as letters, numbers, opposites and colors. The illustrations are handmade from wood, ceramics, tin, papier mache etc. It takes about a month to make many of the pieces. I am proud to be able to showcase the work of artists who might otherwise remain anonymous and recognize them for their lifetime achievement. My work has developed from years of being a classroom teacher. I also worked in humanitarian assistance and am trained as an art historian. I hold a doctorate from Teachers College Columbia University. You can read more about me at wwww.cynthiaweill.net. For lesson plans and pdfs about ABeCedarios, Opuestos, Colores de la vida and Count me in! go to www.cincopuntos.com. Click on the specific book icon. You can reach me at cweillvietnam@yahoo.com.
