I See the Sun in Mexico, the fifth book in the award-winning I See the Sun series, takes place on the Sea of Cortez. Luis's working-class family lives in La Paz. His father is a cook on an excursion boat. His mother makes the best tortillas in the city. With Mama's guidance, Luis shops for the vegetables Papa needs to prepare meals on the boat. Once on the water, Luis hands out masks and snorkels to the tourists who will swim in the beautiful sea. The clear blue water is a magical world filled with hundreds of colorful fish and playful sea lions. Later in the day, the boat is anchored again and everyone goes for a hike. The sandy trail, high above the shore, reveals snakes, lizards, cactus flowers and ancient rock drawings. At night, the black star-filled sky sparkles and the water is filled with thousands of herring swimming around the boat. Lush illustrations and a bilingual story in English and Spanish offer Luis's view of his beautiful country. Honorable Mention 2012 Foreword Book of the Year Awards - Picture Books/Early Reader Category.
Judith Inglese has been designing and fabricating ceramic tile murals for public environments for more than thirty years. Her commissions include libraries, schools, hospitals and municipal and institutional buildings like the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Her murals often focus on the play and imagination of children as well as cross-cultural exchange and community. In the I See the Sun books, she combines photography, cut paper and drawing in her collage illustrations. Like her ceramic tile murals, her illustrations are colorful and detailed with strong forms and line work.
Author, Dedie King, a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, also taught school there. She travels extensively and spends a considerable amount of time, not as a tourist, but immersed in many cultures, living with families who open their homes to her. She holds a MEd and has taught elementary school and children with learning disabilities. Her interest in writing books about different cultures is to bring awareness to young children of both the sameness and the differences of cultures around the world.