The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe
By Pat Mora • Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Knopf. 2012 • 40 pages
Hardcover ($16.99)
ISBN: 978-0-375-86838-2
Ages 5-8
The story of the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe is beautifully conveyed in this richly illustrated book.
Written by celebrated children’s author, Pat Mora, it opens with two girls making red paper flowers at Grandma Lupita’s house. Lupita then shares the story of why each December they honor Our Lady of Guadalupe with those red flowers.
It all began with a man named Juan Diego, who, centuries ago, met a beautiful, glowing Lady (la Señora) upon a hill in Tepeyac (Mexico City). The Lady urged Juan Diego to ask the local bishop to build a church on the hill, but when Juan Diego approached the bishop, the bishop wanted a sign. And so, the Lady urged Juan Diego to ask the bishop again and still, the bishop demanded a sign. Thus the beautiful Lady presented Juan Diego with red roses blooming on the snow-covered hill, and Juan Diego took those roses to the bishop, unraveling them from his cloak. “There, on his cloak, was the image of la hermosa Señora!”
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Mora’s rendition truly honors the sacred and spiritual event that remains especially important to the people of Mexico, and that readers of all ages and nationalities will appreciate. A story of hope, persistence, faith, and reverence, this is a perfect book for this holiday season!
[Editor’s Note: This title will be available simultaneously in a Spanish-only edition entitled La hermosa Señora: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.]
—Reviewed by Kacy Vega, Coordinator, Leaps and Bounds,Arizona State University
