Ancient Night

Starred review from January 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-Mesmerizing illustrations combine with poetic text to share this Mesoamerican-inspired story about how the sun came to be high in the sky. Rabbit takes care to watch over the moon, ensuring it never stops glowing and refilling it often with aguamiel. When Opossum sees this, he wishes to have some of the aguamiel, but as he takes for himself, the moon grows darker. Ashamed, Opossum hides until he decides to obtain the fire of the gods, singeing his tail in the process, and places the fire high in the sky-now the new sun. Luminous acrylic and oil illustrations bring the night to life, with the glow of the moon and the aguamiel lighting up the world for Rabbit and Opossum, and dark blues, greens, and reds adding to the captivating atmosphere. Enchanting text presents the tale in short, clear sentences that convey a sense of timeless mystery and beauty. A note from the creators shares some of the traditional stories that inspired the picture book. VERDICT An excellent choice for picture book collections that uniquely explores traditional Mesoamerican tales and is sure to inspire the wish for further discovery and appreciation.-Selenia Paz

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2023
In �lvarez and Bowles' folkloric collaboration, the moon stands alone in the vast night sky, tended by caring Rabbit and envied by clever Opossum. Amid the stars, the moon--resembling a large, round jug--sits, radiant with a milky white light. Rabbit keeps the moon luminous, journeying up and down the Great Ceiba's trunk to collect aguamiel, the "precious, glowing nectar that brims in the heart of the first and holy maguey" (an agave plant). When the moon wanes and dims, Rabbit pours aguamiel into it to return its lustrous light. Covetous Opossum strikes, cracking the moon to sap the aguamiel. Observing the darkened night sky, Rabbit finds Opossum drinking the nectar. "Foolish Opossum, what have you done?" Rabbit yells out. Filled with regret, Opossum heads deep into the earth to gather a mighty fire. From there on, the tale of Rabbit and Opossum slips into a cozy truce, altogether expected yet richly gratifying. Bolstered by the ethereal, whimsical text, the plush, incandescent acrylic and oil paint artwork gathers the subtleties and splendors of nighttime and the plant life that surrounds Rabbit and Opossum. Together words and images tug readers along at a measured pace. An excellent authors' note underscores how common strands and crucial differences from wide-ranging Mesoamerican legends and myths furnish the inspiration at the roots of this tale. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Like a mighty dream recalled from time gone by. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2023
Grades K-3 In this lovely collaboration rooted in the lore and traditions of Central America and Mexico's indigenous Nahuas, when the actions of rivals Rabbit and Opossum result in the moon losing its light due to the loss of the aguamiel (sacred sap), Opossum must find a way to make it up to the people and animals on Earth. The soothing depictions of Rabbit on the moon, along with Lord Opossum, will draw readers in, as the textured and vibrant flora and fauna light up the moonbeam-soaked pages. �lvarez's lush illustrations--the artist's first that have been published in color--are beautifully complemented by Bowles' shining prose. A concluding note details the history of Mesoamerican creation stories, the original tales of "The Rabbit and the Moon" and "Opposum and the Sun's Fire," and the culture's rich legacy of weaving stories together over time, mirroring the very process that �lvarez and Bowles have executed here. With its gorgeous illustrations and simple, sweet message, this book will delight readers of all ages.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 30, 2023
In this twined variation of several Mesoamerican stories, the earth’s firmament is lit every evening thanks to Rabbit, who climbs down the Great Ceiba’s trunk and treks across the “sea-ringed world” to gather aguamiel, the “precious, glowing nectar... of the first and holy maguey.” Rabbit then pours the gleaming liquid into the moon, portrayed as a double-handled gourd. But when crafty Opossum cracks the moon and steals the aguamiel for himself, the orb loses its radiance, and the now-regretful animal must find a way to illuminate the world. Having been caught out by Rabbit, Opossum makes a trek of his own: “searching for that fire/ prepared by mighty gods/ as a gift for future humans/ who might shiver in the dark.” Bowles’s unhurried lines offer a playfully elegant feel to the telling, while Álvarez’s saturated digitized paintings use a limited palette to imagine long-eared, gray Rabbit and pointy-nosed, rust-hued Opossum against luminous leafy landscapes. Together, the collaborators create a dreamlike story variation that truly shines. An authors’ note details the story’s roots. English and Spanish versions publish simultaneously. Ages 4–8. Agent: (for Álvarez) Janet Soto Centeno and Susana Figueroa, Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Starred review from March 1, 2023
Rabbit keeps the moon shining brightly by trekking across the world to bring back aguamiel, "the precious, glowing nectar that brims in the heart of the first and holy maguey." She fills a jug with this sweet agave sap, then pours it into the moon. Rabbit's rival, Opossum, pokes a hole in the moon and steals the sap, thus unintentionally extinguishing the moonlight. Luckily, he remembers a treasure under the earth and brings back a pot of fire, "prepared by mighty gods as a gift for future humans who might shiver in the dark." He sets this pot of burning sun high in the sky, and now he and Rabbit work together as ­Guardians of Light. Stunning illustrations by acclaimed Mexican artist Alvarez feature a velvety blue-black backdrop of a sky, stars providing only pinpricks of light, while the glowing moon is depicted as a round, two-handled jar. Opossum's ­reddish-brown fur matches the terra cotta pot of fire he tends, and ­Rabbit's fur is the same blue-green as the magical agave plant, whose spiny leaves curl gracefully upward, like an octopus floating in the dark sea of the night sky. Bowles (translator of The ­Sea-Ringed World, rev. 3/21) developed the text for this previously wordless book originally published in Mexico as Noche antigua. His spellbinding, poetic text is lyrical but crisp. A detailed note at the back explains that the tale is an original weaving together of several stories from Mesoamerica. Jennifer M. Brabander

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2023
Rabbit keeps the moon shining brightly by trekking across the world to bring back aguamiel, "the precious, glowing nectar that brims in the heart of the first and holy maguey." She fills a jug with this sweet agave sap, then pours it into the moon. Rabbit's rival, Opossum, pokes a hole in the moon and steals the sap, thus unintentionally extinguishing the moonlight. Luckily, he remembers a treasure under the earth and brings back a pot of fire, "prepared by mighty gods as a gift for future humans who might shiver in the dark." He sets this pot of burning sun high in the sky, and now he and Rabbit work together as Guardians of Light. Stunning illustrations by acclaimed Mexican artist Álvarez feature a velvety blue-black backdrop of a sky, stars providing only pinpricks of light, while the glowing moon is depicted as a round, two-handled jar. Opossum's reddish-brown fur matches the terra cotta pot of fire he tends, and Rabbit's fur is the same blue-green as the magical agave plant, whose spiny leaves curl gracefully upward, like an octopus floating in the dark sea of the night sky. Bowles (translator of The Sea-Ringed World, rev. 3/21) developed the text for this previously wordless book originally published in Mexico as Noche antigua. His spellbinding, poetic text is lyrical but crisp. A detailed note at the back explains that the tale is an original weaving together of several stories from Mesoamerica.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)