Ruldolfo Anaya Writes for Children

Rudolfo Anaya is the author of Bless Me, Ultima, a classic, award-winning bestseller about a young Hispanic boy coming of age in rural New Mexico. Bless Me, Ultima is the focus of Pioneer Library System’s Big Read and is featured in programs and discussions for teens and adults.

But children, too, love books.

Fortunately, Anaya has written a number of books for children.

“I hope my books present some of my New Mexican culture which includes Hispanic and Native American traditions and ceremonies. When children read stories that relate to them they are more apt to want to read. I hope my stories build self esteem and self interest, that is, an interest in our history. We need the stories of our community told so we can see ourselves as actors in the drama of life,” explaines Anaya.

His re-telling of a Mexican legend, The First Tortilla, is the focus of the Pioneer Library System’s Little Read. The Little Read is designed to complement The Big Read. They each feature a work by the same author, wirtten for different ages. Together, The Big & Little Reads offer intergenrational reading excitment for the entire family. Amy Cordova Illustrates for Anaya.

Amy Cordova is a self-taught artist who lives in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Her cultural background is mixed—a combination of Chicano, Native American and European.

The First Tortilla is one of many collaborations between writer Anaya and illustrator Cordova. The School Library Journal writes, “Cordova's rich acrylic paintings lend a traditional feel to the setting while maintaining the tale's mystical elements.”

Cordova will visit Oklahoma in April as part of The Little Read. She will visit several classrooms to conduct art workshops for children. She will also share her work with the community through special events sponsored by the hometown public libraries of the Pioneer Library System.