cover image Retablo Aragueno

Retablo Aragueno

Aquiles Nazoa. Amazonia Solution, $14.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-980-6437-03-6

K-Gr 2-In this poetic retelling of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph are traveling to the Venezuelan village of Aragua. Mary, pregnant and riding a donkey led by Joseph, stops to rest on the outskirts of the village. They see a young country boy heading their way. It turns out to be the angel Gabriel with a flower in his hand and a star on his cap. He has come to announce to Mary the impending birth of the savior. He then leads them to a manger where the baby Jesus is born. It is the illustrations that make this timeless nativity scene unique by filling in the landscape with Venezuelan flora and fauna. Palm trees and mountains, characters as campesinos, red-tiled roofs, and Spanish colonial buildings make this Christmas pageant unmistakably Venezuelan in flavor. Recommended for collections serving Venezuelan populations and beyond. MOB