The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent
by Irene Vasco; illus. by Juan Palomino; trans. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel
Primary    Eerdmans    40 pp.
10/23    9780802856173    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781467467247    $18.99

A young teacher (unnamed in the text) sets off to her remote school assignment in the Amazon armed with determination and a precious box of books. Her students warn her of the coming “great serpent” and run out of class one day; she grudgingly follows them but thinks they need to learn that legends aren’t real. When she watches the serpent of mud caused by heavy rains and a rising river sweep away the school and her books, she begins to understand why she should have taken the students seriously. Adults share with the teacher their practice of embroidering images of legends and creating cloth books, which allows them to replenish the school library and inspires the teacher to create new lessons and learn the community’s indigenous language. Straightforward prose and intentionally vague characterization present the story as a fable with encouraging lessons about the importance of cultural exchange and the power of nature. Intricate, digitally rendered spreads in shades of teal, orange, and green are filled with images that blend the natural and the legendary.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.