According
to an author’s note, Chico writer and photographer Lisa West “became fascinated
with Mayan culture on a trip to Yucatan, Mexico, in 1987.” Much later, teaming
with illustrator Theda DeRamus and translator Rocío Guido, West created a
fanciful tale of twin brothers and a mysterious world.
“Miguel,
Mateo & The Magic Fish” ($12.99 in paperback from Star House Books), and an
associated coloring book, are for kids with a third- or fourth-grade reading level.
A glossary highlights some of the key aspects of Mayan mythology West uses in
weaving her story. There’s the fish Kukulcan (or Quetzlcoatl), once a man;
ceremonial pyramids, the sacred Jaguar, fearsome stone creatures that come to
life at night, and magical twins who win the day.
Things
begin peacefully enough. “The morning Miguel and his twin brother Mateo snuck
off to go sailing, the sky was as blue as their mother’s shawl.” The boys, both
ten (though Miguel, twenty minutes older, is more daring) set off in their
father’s dinghy to look for fish. “No one will even notice we’re gone.” That’s
Miguel.
As
for Mateo, he’s about to respond when a storm appears and the wind begins to
blow. “They tugged at the sail with desperate hands, the ropes digging deep
into their skin. The sail ripped away from the mast, flapping wildly.
Terrified, they crouched low, gripping the sides of the boat as it spun and
rocked violently in the angry sea.”
The
storm stops just as suddenly. The boys find themselves near a strange jungle
beach; there in the water, “a marvelous fish. Gold and blue scales covered its
body, and green feathery plumes grew from its head.” The fish, once a man who
had tried to lead his village to safety, tells Miguel and Mateo that “only
twins have the power to overcome the magic that keeps me locked in this shape.
I brought you here because I need your help.”
The
twins must find the jade ring and in so doing find courage.
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