Ancient Night

Starred review from January 30, 2023
In this twined variation of several Mesoamerican stories, the earth’s firmament is lit every evening thanks to Rabbit, who climbs down the Great Ceiba’s trunk and treks across the “sea-ringed world” to gather aguamiel, the “precious, glowing nectar... of the first and holy maguey.” Rabbit then pours the gleaming liquid into the moon, portrayed as a double-handled gourd. But when crafty Opossum cracks the moon and steals the aguamiel for himself, the orb loses its radiance, and the now-regretful animal must find a way to illuminate the world. Having been caught out by Rabbit, Opossum makes a trek of his own: “searching for that fire/ prepared by mighty gods/ as a gift for future humans/ who might shiver in the dark.” Bowles’s unhurried lines offer a playfully elegant feel to the telling, while Álvarez’s saturated digitized paintings use a limited palette to imagine long-eared, gray Rabbit and pointy-nosed, rust-hued Opossum against luminous leafy landscapes. Together, the collaborators create a dreamlike story variation that truly shines. An authors’ note details the story’s roots. English and Spanish versions publish simultaneously. Ages 4–8. Agent: (for Álvarez) Janet Soto Centeno and Susana Figueroa, Fondo de Cultura Económica.