by
Juddi Morris
Maria Martinez is a savior of the
people of San Ildefonso. As a child,
Maria mimicked her mother and other village women. She first learned to make pottery at eight
years old. Her passion for the art or necessity of
pottery continued to grow throughout her life.
When she was a young woman already married, she started to sell her
pottery at the museum in Santa Fe. To
compliment her amazing life many of her children and their children study and
keep the tradition alive. Maria was born in 1887 and passed away in 1980. Within her 93 year life she fell in love, sadly
buried three children, and created a living legacy for her children and her
Pueblo. Her pottery sold originally for $1.75
(small pieces) to $3.00 (large pieces); now days a piece of Maria’s pottery
sales from the mid-thousands to the 100-thousands. She is famous for the Black-on-Black pottery
her and her husband revived after visiting an archeological dig.
Tending the Fire is an amazingly
historically accurate read. Morris uses
an easy read style to convey extreme concepts, while be accurate and engaging
the reader to want to know more about Maria’s Life.
This book is a great way to
introduce schoolchildren to New Mexico History.
Some amazing things can be learned from the life of an amazing woman
like Maria Martinez.
Lesson Plans
Our art teacher would so love this book!!! Haha.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a good informational/historical book that has a lot to do with New Mexico and could be good to even bring in art, history, and english. I know I didn't like learning about NM history because it was always the same information over and over, so this would be good to put a different spin on NM history, so it could grab some more kids attention.
Not only would this book be good for children to learn about NM history and Native American culture but also it provides a gateway for your students to become interested in art and pottery. I like that you focused more on the woman the book is about than anything else. She seems like an amazing person. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI agree! This would be a great book to bring in to teach NM history. It seems like it's rich of New Mexico's culture. For the younger grades I think that it would be a great discussion starter to having them make their own pottery. It would give them the opportunity to be creative.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great mulitcultural book. You always bring in some really awesome books that Ive never seen or heard of before. I especially love your blog and book talks. I will use a lot of your insight on my classroom. Thanks! and wonderful book!
ReplyDelete