Made in Mexico

High in the mountains of Mexico is the village of Paracho. In Paracho, guitars are everywhere. They're made in factories at the edge of town and in workshops on the side streets. They hang in the stores that line the main road, and they're played in the street, in restaurants, in the concert hall, at the yearly festival, and in the village school.

Join brother-and-sister team journalist Peter Laufer and illustrator Susan L. Roth, who followed a guitar back to Paracho and found a thriving community that is sending its instruments and its music around the globe.

Kindergarten-Grade 4-High in the mountains of Mexico is the village of Paracho. In this obscure hamlet, a booming business in the construction of fine guitars flourishes. Cut-paper collages and a custom-designed and hand-cut type vibrantly illustrate a text that melds Spanish idioms with readable English to produce a rhythmic introduction to a fascinating and little-known place. While the argument for the excellence of Mexican guitars is well made, the impact of this work lies in the art, which is reminiscent of that of David Diaz, and in the picture it paints of a small town's economy that is based entirely on an art form. While the book could certainly be used as an enhancement to music curricula and as a support work for units on Mexico, it will probably not be picked up by children for its story. A little booktalking might help.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.