Author & Illustrator Profile
Duncan Tonatiuh
13 Books
Duncan Tonatiuh is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books whose work often celebrates Mexican, Mexican American, and Mesoamerican history, art, and culture. His distinctive illustration style is inspired by pre-Columbian art and codices, and his books include Dear Primo, Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, Funny Bones, Danza!, and Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote. He writes both original stories and picture-book biographies that introduce young readers to artists, traditions, and social issues.
One ofrenda begins to grow, piece by piece, as a family counts from one to ten.
In this bilingual Día de Muertos counting book, young readers meet family members and the offerings they bring to honor and welcome the memory of a loved one. The simple number structure supports early learning, while the Spanish and English text invites children to connect counting with culture, family, and celebration.
Duncan Tonatiuh’s artwork gives the book a warm, festive feeling, and the final gatefold reveal brings the decorated altar together. A brief author’s note offers helpful context about the holiday.
6-8 Years
24 Pages
A street fiesta bursts with color, music, food, and celebration in this bright bilingual picture book.
Young readers can spot green avocados, yellow tortillas, purple dance dresses, brown charro pants, and many more colorful details as the festival comes alive page by page. The simple concept-book structure makes it easy to enjoy the Spanish and English words while noticing how color appears in clothing, food, music, and community traditions.
With Duncan Tonatiuh’s distinctive artwork and a joyful festival setting, ¡Fiesta! invites children to look closely, name what they see, and celebrate the beauty of everyday cultural objects.
6-8 Years
40 Pages
Skeletons dance, ride bicycles, play music, and grin from the page, but behind these funny bones is the story of a real artist with a sharp eye.
Funny Bones introduces José Guadalupe Posada, the Mexican printmaker whose calavera drawings became closely connected with Día de los Muertos. Young readers learn how Posada began as a political cartoonist, why his work made people laugh and think, and how his lively skeletons became part of a lasting artistic tradition.
Blending biography, art history, and cultural celebration, Duncan Tonatiuh presents Posada’s life in a way that is clear, vivid, and visually memorable. Back matter adds useful context for readers who want to learn more.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
47 Pages
Before Diego Rivera became one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, he was a curious boy who loved to draw.
This picture book follows Diego from childhood to his travels in Europe and his return to Mexico, where he painted huge murals filled with the people, history, and daily life of his country. Readers see how art can tell stories that belong not only in museums, but also on public walls where everyone can see them.
Duncan Tonatiuh introduces Rivera’s life and legacy with warmth, respect, and bold illustrations inspired by Mexican art. The book also asks young artists to wonder what stories they might paint about the world around them.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
38 Pages
Sylvia Mendez wanted to go to the school near her home. Instead, she and her brothers were told they had to attend a separate Mexican school.
Separate Is Never Equal tells the true story of how Sylvia’s family challenged school segregation in California years before Brown v. Board of Education. Young readers meet a child who knows something is unfair, parents who refuse to accept discrimination, and a community that helps bring an important case to court.
Using clear language and his signature illustration style, Duncan Tonatiuh makes a vital civil rights story accessible for children while honoring the courage and persistence behind the Mendez family’s fight.
6-8 Years
48 Pages
Princess Izta does not want jewels, power, or a grand match chosen for her. She loves Popoca, a brave warrior who promises to stay by her side.
The emperor gives Popoca a dangerous task: defeat the enemy warrior Jaguar Claw, and he may marry Izta. But legends are shaped by loyalty, jealousy, and choices made in moments of great danger. This retelling of a Mexican legend leads readers toward the story behind the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which still rise near Mexico City.
With dramatic pacing, Nahuatl words, and artwork inspired by ancient forms, Duncan Tonatiuh brings romance, bravery, and cultural history together in a striking picture-book legend.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Mousetepec is full of music, color, and alegría until a terrifying cat’s shadow falls across the city.
As fear spreads, fiestas are canceled and the mercado grows quiet. Vida and her brother Máximo know their town needs help, and a dream of a brilliant alebrije gives them the spark for a brave plan. Their story becomes a fable about facing what frightens you without losing joy.
Inspired by Mexican folk art, Vida: The Mice, the Cat, and the Alebrije blends animal adventure, imaginative danger, and cultural detail. Duncan Tonatiuh’s distinctive illustrations make the city and its fantastic creature feel bold, magical, and full of life.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
52 Pages
Pancho Rabbit has waited and waited for Papa to come home from El Norte. When Papa still does not return, Pancho packs the foods his father loves best and sets out on a difficult journey to find him.
Told as a fable with rabbits, snakes, and a dangerous coyote, this powerful picture book helps young readers understand the fear, hope, and risk behind migration. Pancho crosses harsh borders and meets creatures who may help him, harm him, or demand a terrible price.
Duncan Tonatiuh’s striking artwork and carefully shaped storytelling turn one family’s search into a moving allegory about love, courage, and the hardships many migrant families face.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
36 Pages
A single dance in the town square changes the direction of Amalia Hernández’s life.
As a child, Amalia is captivated by dancers who stomp, sway, and move with rhythm and beauty. She grows up studying ballet and modern dance, then travels through Mexico learning regional dances. By blending those traditions for the stage, she creates El Ballet Folklórico de México, a company that brings Mexican dance to audiences around the world.
Danza! introduces young readers to a groundbreaking dancer and choreographer through lively storytelling and Duncan Tonatiuh’s bold, Mixtec-inspired artwork. It is a celebration of movement, culture, creativity, and the power of honoring tradition in new ways.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
A young Mexihcah girl tells her little brother that their world is an amoxtlalpan, a land of books.
Their parents are word painters who create codices: long, folded painted manuscripts that record history, science, rituals, tributes, and daily life. As the sister explains how paper is made and how books are painted, readers discover that Mesoamerican peoples created rich written records long before Europeans arrived in the Americas.
A Land of Books is both a story and a tribute to knowledge. Duncan Tonatiuh’s lyrical text and codex-inspired art celebrate Indigenous ingenuity, family learning, and the lasting power of books to carry a people’s memory forward.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
52 Pages
Charlie and Carlitos live far apart, but their letters bring their worlds close together.
Charlie lives in the United States, rides the subway, plays basketball, and eats pizza. Carlitos lives in Mexico, rides his bicicleta, plays fútbol, and enjoys quesadillas. As the cousins write to each other, readers compare city and country life, English and Spanish words, and the small routines that make each boy’s day special.
Dear Primo is a warm picture book about family, friendship, and connection across borders. Duncan Tonatiuh’s art and simple letter structure help young readers see both the differences and the surprising similarities between two cousins’ lives.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
36 Pages
Before humans could live in the world, the gods tried again and again to create them. When the others grew tired, Feathered Serpent did not give up.
To complete his quest, Quetzalcóatl must enter the underworld and retrieve the sacred bones guarded by Mictlantecuhtli. The journey is dangerous, filled with tests that call for courage, wisdom, and persistence.
Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns retells a Mesoamerican creation myth with the sweep of an epic adventure. Duncan Tonatiuh’s bold artwork and grand storytelling introduce readers to an important figure from ancient Mesoamerican tradition while preserving the mystery and power of the myth.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua
Luz Jiménez carried her people’s stories with her, even when the world around her changed.
As a Nahua girl in Mexico, Luz learned the work, language, traditions, and memories of her community. After the Mexican Revolution forced her family to leave their village, she built a new life in Mexico City. There, she became a model for major artists and a teacher to scholars, helping preserve Nahua language, stories, and culture.
Gloria Amescua’s lyrical biography, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, introduces readers to a woman whose life connected Indigenous knowledge, Mexican art, and cultural survival. It is a thoughtful tribute to memory, identity, and pride in one’s roots.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
