Title supplied by publisher

Our world, little brother, is an amoxtlalpan, a land of books. In the jungles where the jaguar dwells, the Mayas make books. In the mountains the cloud people, the Mixtecs, make them as well. So do others in the coast and in the forests. And we the Mexica of the mighty Aztec empire, who dwell in the valley of the volcanoes, make them too. A young Aztec girl tells her little brother how their parents create beautiful painted manuscripts, or codices. She explains to him how paper is made from local plants and how the long paper is folded into a book. Her parents and others paint the codices to tell the story of their people's way of life, documenting their history, science, tributes, and sacred rituals. Duncan Tonatiuh's lyrical prose and beloved illustration style, inspired by the pre-Columbian codices, tell the story of how--contrary to the historical narrative that European colonizers bestowed "civilization" and knowledge to the Americas--the Aztec and their neighbors in the Valley of Mexico painted books and records long before Columbus arrived, and continued doing so among their Nahua-speaking descendants for generations after the Spanish Conquest. From an award-winning author-illustrator, A Land of Books pays tribute to Mesoamerican ingenuity and celebrates the universal power of books

Release date supplied by publisher

Issued as a Wonderbook, a pre-loaded audiobook player permanently attached to a hardcover book

Powered by a rechargeable battery ; USB charger required for recharging

Audiobook player has 2 modes. Read-Along mode narrates the story. Learning mode asks questions related to the story

Print book published : New York, New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022

Audiobook originally released by Dreamscape Media

Narrated by Carolina Hoyas

Pre-K to 3