Agua, agüita = Water, Little Water / by/por Jorge Tetl Argueta ; illustrations by/ilustraciones de Felipe Ugalde Alcántara ; translation by/traducción de Gabriela Baeza Ventura.
Edition:
[VOX edition]
Publisher:
Library IdeasLLC,
Copyright Date:
2021
Description:
1 audio-enabled book (1 volume (unpaged)) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
VOX books -- books that talk! Book originally published: Houston, Texas : Piñata Books, Arte Público Press, [2017]. "The permanently attached VOX Reader transforms an ordinary print book into an all-in-one read-along. There's no need for computers, tablets or CDs. Children simply push a button to listen and read"--Publisher's website. Funded by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. VOX Audio playback device includes headphone jack, external speaker, play/pause button, volume controls, page-turning controls, rechargeable battery, low battery indicator, and removable AC adapter. Read by Maria Liatis. Containing the English and Spanish text on each page, the entire poem appears at the end in Nahuat, the language of Argueta's Pipil-Nahua ancestors. This book is an excellent choice to encourage children to write their own poems about the natural world and to begin conversations about the interconnected web of life.
Summary:
"My name / is Water / but everyone / calls me Little Water." In this beautiful, poetic ode to the life-giving force of water, award-winning children's book author Jorge Argueta describes in English, Spanish and Nahuat the life cycle of water from the perspective of one drop. From its birth deep in Mother Earth, Little Water climbs to the surface, passing through roots and rocks, light and darkness. Finally, the tiny bead of water makes it to the top and rests, "a sigh of morning dew, hanging on the tips of leaves / on spider webs / or on the petals / of flowers." The droplet becomes a river, a lake, an ocean, ultimately climbing to the sky and turning into a cloud. Then, "drop by drop / I return singing / to our Mother Earth. I am Little Water. / I am life." With stunningly beautiful illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara that depict the mountains, rocks, vegetation and animals of the natural world, this poem about the importance of water reflects Argueta's indigenous roots and his appreciation for nature. "Mi nombre / es Agua / pero todos / me llaman Pequęa Agua". En esta hermosa y pǒtica oda a la fuerza vivificante del agua, el galardonado autor de libros infantiles Jorge Argueta describe en ingľs, espąol y ǹhuat el ciclo de vida del agua desde la perspectiva de una gota. Desde su nacimiento en lo profundo de la Madre Tierra, Little Water sube a la superficie, atravesando ra̕ces y rocas, luz y oscuridad. Finalmente, la diminuta gota de agua llega a la cima y descansa, "un suspiro de roc̕o matinal, colgando de las puntas de las hojas / de las telarąas / o de los p̌talos / de las flores". La gota se convierte en un r̕o, un lago, un očano, y finalmente sube al cielo y se convierte en una nube. Luego, "gota a gota / Vuelvo cantando / a nuestra Madre Tierra. Soy Pequęa Agua. / Soy la vida". Con ilustraciones asombrosamente hermosas de Felipe Ugalde Alc̀ntara que representan las montąas, rocas, vegetaci̤n y animales del mundo natural, este poema sobre la importancia del agua refleja las ra̕ces ind̕genas de Argueta y su aprecio por la naturaleza.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.