Pilgrim Codex

Gr 3-8–An unnamed boy narrates his family’s journey from Mexico to the “other side” in this uniquely rendered immigration tale. The Vargas Ramírez family begins as a group of seven but are soon joined by neighbors also yearning for a better life in the United States. The countless perils—snakes, dehydration (“We had to drink water from puddles”), the freezing cold Rio Bravo at night (“Place Where the Waters Tangle”), and cruel coyotes—are compelling and described with empathic candor. Mansour’s evocative, image-rich language (“darkness as dense as an obsidian forest”) is expertly translated in the English edition, and echoes the cadence of a timeless folk story. The illustrations, created in the style of Mesoamerican codices, are colorful and ripe with symbolism and iconography, like the Virgin de Guadalupe and Uncle Sam. Appended is an author’s note, a glossary of Nahuatl terms and origins, and explanations of the terms referenced in the text and symbolism depicted in illustrations. Despite the known challenges, the narrator ends on a hopeful note: “It won’t be easy...But my eyes thirst for tomorrows.”