  | Not a monster Author: Martinez, Claudia Guadalupe | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
An axolotl egg hatches and matures in the Xochimilco canals in Mexico City, the only natural habitat of these unique salamanders that spend their lives in water.
| Illustrator: | Gonzalez, Laura |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (04/15/23)
Booklist (05/15/23)
The Hornbook (00/07/23)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/15/2023 Martínez introduces an amphibian exclusively found in Mexico in this inviting nonfiction picture book, and readers get to watch the creature grow from a single cell to an axolotl. This unusual salamander is not a monster, though it’s described as an “Aztec god of monstrous things” that jumped in the water in Aztec mythology. In her artwork, González honors that mythology with Aztec motifs and pictograms tucked into the illustrations, while comprehensively depicting the axolotl’s growing phases. Once the axolotl is fully grown, the story introduces two children searching for the mythological creature in the canals. Instead, they find pollution, which threatens the axolotl’s habitat, but they help clean the water, eventually revealing a collection of axolotl eggs beginning to hatch. Martínez sprinkles plenty of Spanish words throughout the story, which are defined in a glossary; color terms also appear in their matching hue. The term “monster” is used gently, without instilling fear. With beautiful watercolor illustrations, this story compellingly integrates folktales and biology, as well as important facts about environmental awareness. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
