Abecedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish

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 letters—and whimsical animals—that make the Spanish alphabet so much fun.

The famous folk artists, brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez, 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 Moisés and Armando’s grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures. Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving.

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.

Todos los libros del alfabeto tienen colores brillantes y letras grandes. Pero no cada libro del alfabeto tiene animales mágicos tallados a mano para ilustrar cada letra. ¡Y muy pocos libros del alfabeto presentan esas letras en más idiomas que ingles! Muy pocos ¡excepto por ABeCedarios! En este libro vibrante, el alfabeto es presentado en ambo español e ingles, e incluye las cuatro letras adicionales en el alfabeto de español. .

Los hermanos Moisés and Armando Jiménez tallaron las figuras de animales maravillosas que ilustran cada letra en ABeCedarios. Trabajando con sus esposas e hijos, meticulosamente pintaron a mano cada animal encantador. Las familias Jiménez viven y trabajan en el hermoso pueblo de montaña de Arrazola, Oaxaca.

“Featuring vibrant wooden sculptures by a Oaxacan family of artists…The highly saturated color backdrops and stunning sculptures win over readers of all ages.”— Publishers Weekly

“An outstanding alphabet book.”— Críticas

“[A] colorful and inventive way for teaching a young child their ABCs. Highly recommended; even adults will enjoy lingering over the unique animal artistry.”— Midwest Book Review

Brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios. Working with their wives and children, they meticulously hand-paint each enchanting animal. The Jiménez families live and work in the beautiful mountain village of Arrazola, Oaxaca.