Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God

By Karla Arenas Valenti and Vanessa Morales

Informational Resources:

Author Information:
Karla Arenas Valenti’s website
https://karlavalenti.com/ 

Illustrator Information:
Vanessa Morales’s website
https://phonemova.com/ 

Activities & Resources:
Reader’s guide from the author’s website
https://karlavalenti.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LEGENDARIOS-Readers-Guide.pdf 

Aztec Mythology:
https://www.ducksters.com/history/aztec_empire/religion_gods_and_mythology.php 

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/aztec-civilization 

Tlaloc, the rain god
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tlaloc

Unexplained thunderstorm in Mexico (3:49):
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=NlNn5i0jGsE 

Nagual
https://www.britannica.com/topic/nagual 

Nahuatl Language:
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/languages/nahuatl.html 

About the Nahuatl language (13:52):
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=FnQwfvP-QJE 

Locations in the book:
Cuernavaca, Mexico
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cuernavaca 

Chicago, Illinois
https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Chicago/346099 

MakerSpace Activities:
Design an abalone or obsidian necklace, or make your own necklace. 

Make a jaguar mask:
https://woojr.com/paper-plate-jaguar-mask/ 

Design your own version of Tlaloc’s lightning bolt using details from the book and recycled materials. 

Rain stick craft:
https://craftingwithkids.net/diy-rainstick-craft-from-a-paper-towel-roll/ 

Design a book cover that represents you or your family, like the book Abuela gave to Emma and Martín.  

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever had to move? How did it make you feel? 

Do you have siblings? Do you get along or do you argue like Martin and Emma? 

On page 8, Abuela tells Martín and Emma that they are like butterflies. “It started as a caterpillar, but when it emerged from its cocoon, it was transformed to face its new environment.” Do you agree with Abuela? Why or why not? 

Page 11 lists some of the names that are written inside the book Abuela gives to Martín and Emma. Who are these people? How old do you think the book is? 

Have you ever received a special gift like the necklaces Martín and Emma got from Abuela? How did it make you feel? 

How is Martín and Emma’s house in Mexico different from their new house in the United States? 

If a magical archway appeared in your house, would you go through it? Why or why not? 

How would you describe Nelli, especially after she volunteered to go with Martín and Emma to find Tlaloc? 

Do the gods and magical characters in this book remind you of other stories or myths you have read? 

What led Tezcatlipoca, the jaguar, to steal the lighting bolt from Tlaloc? 

On page 101, why does Nelli ask, “Are you the leaders of your village?” 

Why does Nelli think the door is crying? 

What does Abuela mean when she says, “Beauty is sometimes hard to find, unless you know where to look for it? Do you agree or disagree?

Were you surprised that the plan to convince the jaguar to give the lightning bolt back to Tlaloc worked? Why or why not?

Manauia says, “Our home is not a place. Home is our people.” What does he mean? Do you agree? Why or why not? 

Do you think Abuela knew that Martín and Emma would go on an adventure? Why do you think that? 

How did Martín and Emma’s feelings about their new home change? 

Do Martín and Emma treat each other the same way at the end of the book that they did at the beginning? How did they change? 

How is the butterfly that appears at the end of the book significant? 

What do you predict Martín and Emma will do on their next adventure?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God. 

Watch the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Kemp, Laekan Zea. Omega Morales and the legend of La Lechuza. A girl must learn to trust herself--and her ancestral powers--when she comes face-to-face with the Mexican legend La Lechuza. (NoveList Plus)

Mejia, Tehlor Kay. Paola Santiago and the river of tears. In Silver Springs, Arizona, her mother's stories of the monstrous La Llorona are thrilling but unbelievable to science-loving Paola until she and her best friends Dante and Emma take a walk through a cactus field near the Gila River. (NoveList Plus)

Resau, Laura. The lightning queen. On the Hill of Dust, in the remote mountains of Mexico, an eleven-year-old Mixtec boy called Teo lives with his family and the animals that he has healed, but one day a Romany caravan rolls into town with a young girl who calls herself Esma, the Gypsy Queen of Lightning--it is the beginning of a life-long friendship that will change both their lives. (NoveList Plus)

Valenti, Karla. Lotería. In Oaxaca City, Mexico, ancient friends Life and Death discuss free will while engaged in a game of chance, with eleven-year-old Clara as the protagonist of their theories and a pawn in their game, moving inevitably towards her ultimate fate. Includes author's notes and reader's guide. (NoveList Plus)

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Feathered serpent and the five suns: a Mesoamerican creation myth. Tells the story of Quetzalcoatl, one of the most important deities in ancient Mesoamerica, and his quest to create humankind. The Feathered Serpent embarks on a dangerous journey full of fearsome foes and harsh elements, facing each trial with wisdom, bravery, and resourcefulness before confronting his final challenge at Mictlan, the underworld. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Booklist (March 1, 2024 (Vol. 120, No. 13))

Grades 3-5. This first book in Valenti's Legendarios series follows nine-year-old twins Emma and Martín on an electrifying adventure. Sadly, their father's new job forces the family to move from Cuernavaca to Chicago, and before they depart, their abuela gives them a book about Mexican legends—and it’s magic, which they discover when it starts to glow. Opening the book sends the twins traveling through time to pre-Columbian Texcoco, Mexico. Someone or something has stolen the lightning bolt of the Aztec god Tlaloc, the god of rain and thunder, and his displeasure is manifested in torrential rain. It's up to Emma and Martín to appease the deity. Valenti's adventurous premise will engage readers, while the plot and characters deftly introduce Mexican history and myths, astutely focusing on the unforgettable Tlaloc. The rapport between the twins adds levity, the movement of the characters between time and place aids with pacing, and the occasional black-and-white illustrations add appeal. A promising series starter featuring plenty of clever references to Indigenous Mexican food, history, and language.