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Our Lady of Guadalupe
One morning, while walking to an early church service, Juan Diego hears a voice calling, "Juanito! Juan Dieguito!" He comes face to face with the Virgin Mary! "I would like a shrine built on this hill," she tells him and instructs him to take her wish to the bishop. Juan Diego protests that the bishop will pay no attention to him, a lowly peasant, but the Virgin says that she will protect him. Juan Diego visits the bishop three times, but only after he brings a sign from the Virgin---a bunch of roses that are miraculously blooming in December---does the bishop relent and agree to the Virgin's request. From then on, the image of the Virgin is imprinted on Juan Diego's rough cactus-fiber tilma.
Today, millions of pilgrims visit the shrine and pray before the image of "Our Lady of Guadalupe."
-from the book jacket
Today, millions of pilgrims visit the shrine and pray before the image of "Our Lady of Guadalupe."
-from the book jacket
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
17 books20 followersCarmen T. Bernier-Grand is a national award winning author of eleven books for children and young adults. She teaches writing at the Whidbey Island MFA, a program of Northwest Literary Arts, at Writers in the Schools, a program of Oregon Literary Arts, and at Wordstock.
In 2008, The Oregon Library Association's Children's Division gave her the Evelyn Lampman Award for her significant contribution to the children of Oregon in the field of children's literature.
Bernier-Grand was born in Puerto Rico but lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, Jeremy Grand, and her bilingual dog, Lily.
(source)
In 2008, The Oregon Library Association's Children's Division gave her the Evelyn Lampman Award for her significant contribution to the children of Oregon in the field of children's literature.
Bernier-Grand was born in Puerto Rico but lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, Jeremy Grand, and her bilingual dog, Lily.
(source)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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November 27, 2019This book starts with Juan Diego as an adult, and we get some of his interior thought processes.
I kind of winced at his, "How can a poor Aztec like me be worthy of what I am seeing and hearing?" Like, has Juan Diego internalized the idea that he is less-than because he is Indigenous? Which, honestly, wouldn't surprise me, but unless the narrative is going to do something with it, I wish they it wouldn't invoke it.
When Juan Diego first goes to see the bishop, the servants laugh, "An Indian wants an audience with the bishop?" After Juan Diego finally gets his meeting, we read, "Then he [the bishop] dismissed the poor Indian," and Juan Diego thinks, "What made me think that a bishop would take an Aztec seriously?"
The book doesn't unpack anything about colonization, so there's this weird conflation of poverty*/unworthiness and indigeneity. (I'm also not sure about "Aztec" and "Indian" as words to describe a Nahua.)
* On the very first page, "Juan Diego fastened his coarse tilma to his left shoulder," on the next page it continues, "On bare feet he set out to walk the nine miles to Tlatelolco," and when Juan Diego is first waiting for entrance to the bishop's palace, we read, "Juan Diego, who had had no breakfast, grew hungry."
The book does do a good job of conveying the bishop and his retinue unfavorably, though. "Juan Diego stood outside the palace, waiting to be called. Other people who had arrived after him wre ushered in. Juan Dego, who had had no breakfast, grew hungry. Three hours passed. Would he be able to deliver the message? After everyone else had been escorted inside, finally he was called." And in the illustrations, the bishop's rich robe and hat are in stark contrast to Juan Diego in his coarse tilma.
I also liked that the Virgin Mary introduces herself to him in his native language, Nahuatl.
Early on, Juan Diego says to the Lady, "But I am a nobody. I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf. Why would the bishop listen to me?" I had never heard that poetic self-deprecation before, but apparently the author didn't make it up.
I really like that this book explains in such detail the meanings of the elements of the apparition of the Lady -- Juan Diego says to the bishop: "The stars in her blue rebozo look like the constellations of the night sky. The back of her left hand has a painted yollo, a heart but with flames also. She also wears a black sash as pregnant women do. Her feet stand firmly on a crescent moon. The volcanoes on her gown are embroidered with gold thread. But she bows her head. That tells me she is not an Aztec goddess. There is a higher power above her."
(I particularly appreciated the Lady's floating glow after Talking Eagle and the Lady of Roses , where the light emanating from her often looks like solid points, which seems like not the vibe to be going for.)
This is the one book that actually explicitly explains why Juan Diego doesn't go to the Lady when his uncle is dying -- we read: "his uncle had grown much weaker. 'Please, bring in a priest to hear my last confession,' he told Juan Diego."
At the end of the story, Juan Diego gets to be the guardian of the shrine of the Lady, but the last line of the narrative is, "Today millions of pilgrims visit the sanctuary to pray before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the coarse tilma of the humble Aztec, Juan Diego," so we end with yet again reinscribing these ideas about indigeneity :/
The Author's Note has a bunch of information about the Aztec connections to Our Lady of Guadalupe and definitely goes in on the authenticity of the apparition (e.g., saying, "Because the tilma was made from the fibers of the maguey cactus, some Mexican artists [...] said it was impossible for it to support any form of painting. The tilma was expected to deteriorate in roughly thirty years. Yet after more than 475 years, pilgrims can see a radiant image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from any point within the circular basilica on Tepeyac Hill that today houses the tilma," whereas the Author's Note in Talking Eagle and the Lady of Roses , which predates this book by 2 years, says, "Recent tests have indicated that the fabric is hemp, which is known to last for hundreds of years.")
I kind of winced at his, "How can a poor Aztec like me be worthy of what I am seeing and hearing?" Like, has Juan Diego internalized the idea that he is less-than because he is Indigenous? Which, honestly, wouldn't surprise me, but unless the narrative is going to do something with it, I wish they it wouldn't invoke it.
When Juan Diego first goes to see the bishop, the servants laugh, "An Indian wants an audience with the bishop?" After Juan Diego finally gets his meeting, we read, "Then he [the bishop] dismissed the poor Indian," and Juan Diego thinks, "What made me think that a bishop would take an Aztec seriously?"
The book doesn't unpack anything about colonization, so there's this weird conflation of poverty*/unworthiness and indigeneity. (I'm also not sure about "Aztec" and "Indian" as words to describe a Nahua.)
* On the very first page, "Juan Diego fastened his coarse tilma to his left shoulder," on the next page it continues, "On bare feet he set out to walk the nine miles to Tlatelolco," and when Juan Diego is first waiting for entrance to the bishop's palace, we read, "Juan Diego, who had had no breakfast, grew hungry."
The book does do a good job of conveying the bishop and his retinue unfavorably, though. "Juan Diego stood outside the palace, waiting to be called. Other people who had arrived after him wre ushered in. Juan Dego, who had had no breakfast, grew hungry. Three hours passed. Would he be able to deliver the message? After everyone else had been escorted inside, finally he was called." And in the illustrations, the bishop's rich robe and hat are in stark contrast to Juan Diego in his coarse tilma.
I also liked that the Virgin Mary introduces herself to him in his native language, Nahuatl.
Early on, Juan Diego says to the Lady, "But I am a nobody. I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf. Why would the bishop listen to me?" I had never heard that poetic self-deprecation before, but apparently the author didn't make it up.
I really like that this book explains in such detail the meanings of the elements of the apparition of the Lady -- Juan Diego says to the bishop: "The stars in her blue rebozo look like the constellations of the night sky. The back of her left hand has a painted yollo, a heart but with flames also. She also wears a black sash as pregnant women do. Her feet stand firmly on a crescent moon. The volcanoes on her gown are embroidered with gold thread. But she bows her head. That tells me she is not an Aztec goddess. There is a higher power above her."
(I particularly appreciated the Lady's floating glow after Talking Eagle and the Lady of Roses , where the light emanating from her often looks like solid points, which seems like not the vibe to be going for.)
This is the one book that actually explicitly explains why Juan Diego doesn't go to the Lady when his uncle is dying -- we read: "his uncle had grown much weaker. 'Please, bring in a priest to hear my last confession,' he told Juan Diego."
At the end of the story, Juan Diego gets to be the guardian of the shrine of the Lady, but the last line of the narrative is, "Today millions of pilgrims visit the sanctuary to pray before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the coarse tilma of the humble Aztec, Juan Diego," so we end with yet again reinscribing these ideas about indigeneity :/
The Author's Note has a bunch of information about the Aztec connections to Our Lady of Guadalupe and definitely goes in on the authenticity of the apparition (e.g., saying, "Because the tilma was made from the fibers of the maguey cactus, some Mexican artists [...] said it was impossible for it to support any form of painting. The tilma was expected to deteriorate in roughly thirty years. Yet after more than 475 years, pilgrims can see a radiant image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from any point within the circular basilica on Tepeyac Hill that today houses the tilma," whereas the Author's Note in Talking Eagle and the Lady of Roses , which predates this book by 2 years, says, "Recent tests have indicated that the fabric is hemp, which is known to last for hundreds of years.")
May 22, 2024
I enjoyed reading about this saint. I had never read anything in depth about her. I liked the way the author pointed out how she correlated with the religion of the Aztecs. The Aztec Indians were a very religious people before the invasion of the white people. The Spaniards immediately tried to convert the Aztecs to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe helped the Indians to see that this conversion was only a step above what they had before, and this was reflected in her appearance and dress. She was like them in appearance and thus was sympathetic to their religion. Her appearance on Juan Diego's apron was very detailed.
January 30, 2020
The story felt a bit flat, but man, that art is stunning!
December 27, 2020
This book was donated to our school library. When I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed reading this book.
February 12, 2021
This has a lot more info than some Our Lady of Guadalupe books, especially in the afterward section. My husband was really happy to see that noted.
December 14, 2012
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is very well known in the Catholic circles of the Americas, especially the parts that were in direct contact with the Mexican-influenced aspects of Catholic spirituality. In 1999 Blessed Pope John Paul II has called the Virgin of Guadalupe the "mother of Americas," and in 2002 he had Juan Diego, the poor indigenous Indian to whom she had appeared, canonized as a Saint. Consequently the influence of this great Marian figure has greatly increased throughout both North and South America.
This children's book is a great way of introducing Our Lady of Guadalupe to the youngest Catholics. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is very simple yet interesting. The book is really well written and the narrative flows very smoothly. The language is very straightforward, with an exception of some native Mexican names and terms that will be unfamiliar even to the most adults. The events surrounding the appearance of Our Lady and the life of Juan Diego are touching and heart-warming. I was really taken by the story, and I expect to read it often to my children, as they grow older and mature in faith.
At the end there is a brief two-page background story on the appearances and the cultural and religious significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This background is a useful resource for parents who themselves may not be familiar with all the facets of this story.
This is a truly amazing book that is bound to become a classic in the genre of Catholic books for children.
This children's book is a great way of introducing Our Lady of Guadalupe to the youngest Catholics. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is very simple yet interesting. The book is really well written and the narrative flows very smoothly. The language is very straightforward, with an exception of some native Mexican names and terms that will be unfamiliar even to the most adults. The events surrounding the appearance of Our Lady and the life of Juan Diego are touching and heart-warming. I was really taken by the story, and I expect to read it often to my children, as they grow older and mature in faith.
At the end there is a brief two-page background story on the appearances and the cultural and religious significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This background is a useful resource for parents who themselves may not be familiar with all the facets of this story.
This is a truly amazing book that is bound to become a classic in the genre of Catholic books for children.
February 7, 2015
A kid-friendly retelling of the story of the Virgin Mary visiting a poor man and asking him to build a shrine to her atop a hill in Mexico. The illustrations are lush and the text is accessible to upper elementary students. I can't however, envision this being read aloud at a school library or in a classroom unless students were studying world religions or folk tales. Kids who are unfamiliar with Christian lore will have a lot of questions and may not understand that, from a scientific POV, the events from the book didn't really happen.
August 22, 2012
Oil and Encaustics
Long text - not a treat
Soft edged painting style was nice
Long text - not a treat
Soft edged painting style was nice
April 26, 2013
The illustrations are done in oil and are especially beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews