The Children's Book Review

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? | Dedicated Review

Book Review of Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors?
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The Children’s Book Review

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? Book Cover

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors?

Written by Virginia Padilla-Vigil, PhD

Illustrated by Nanibah Chacon

Ages 7-12 | 38 Pages

Publisher: Condor Publishing, Inc | ISBN-13: 9781931079235

What to Expect: Animism, Hispanic culture & language, helping others

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? is a beautiful story with the lilt and feel of a traditional fairy tale or myth.

Mariposa is a beautiful, colorful butterfly, but despite her beauty, she is not happy. The world around her is drab and colorless, and being so different and so isolated from everyone and everything around her fills her with sadness. One day, a question from a curious little trout prompts her to wonder where her colors come from and what they mean? Finding the answer changes Mariposa and the world around her, teaching her that “magical things happen when we share what we have with others.”

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? teaches important lessons about fear and courage, sharing and being a part of your community, and loneliness and fitting in. What really makes this volume stand out, however, are the stunning hand-drawn and hand-painted illustrations. Moving from black-and-white images with Mariposa picked out in bright colors to increasingly color-filled sketches as Mariposa shares her colors, the illustrations tell the story again in their own way, initiating readers into a love of color and the beauty of the natural world.

Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? is an exquisite volume as well as an enjoyable story, perfect for bedtime reading and rainy-day coloring inspiration.

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About the Author

Virginia Padilla-Vigil was born and raised in northern New Mexico and is a lifelong educator. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, her master’s degree in counseling from the College of Santa Fe, and her Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. She has a deep passion for teaching. She served as an elementary teacher for 6 years in the Pojoaque Valley Schools and has taught for over 25 years in colleges and universities across New Mexico and Colorado in counseling, leadership, and teacher education. 

Her childhood dream was to write and publish a children’s book. Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? is a story that captures the essence of possibility and the role that significant adults can play in children’s lives by helping them discover their gifts and talents (their colors) and encouraging them to share them with the world. It is also a story of diversity and the many colors we bring to our world, creating a rich tapestry of strength, unity, and collective wisdom.

For more information, visit http://www.condorpublishinginc.com/.

Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of Mariposa, Where Did You Get Your Colors? Learn more about getting a book review …

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