Equally accomplished in war, letters and (relatively) compassionate government, a strong ally of the Aztec Empire and a ruler who turned the city-state of Tezcoco (more often spelled Texcoco) into the Athens of pre-Conquest Mexico, Nezahualcoyotl is a historical figure whose name is well worth learning to pronounce. Serrano pulls together the sketchy, half-legendary details of his life into a coherent narrative, which has been adapted and translated from the Spanish by Balch. Driven into exile as a young man, Nezahualcoyotl definitely beat the odds by surviving years of ruthless pursuit, then formed an alliance with neighboring powers, returned to his home in triumph and settled down to establish a new code of laws, as well as several governing bodies and cultural institutions. Enhanced by plenty of Jo Anne Engelbert's strongly translated samples of his poetry and stylized illustrations based on scenes and vignettes from the Xolotl Codex, an important early source of biographical information, this study presents both a portrait of an admirable figure and a reminder that the Aztecs weren't the only great Mesoamerican civilization. (map, chronology, source and resource notes) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

In the fifteenth century, the land where Mexico City now sprawls was a vast, green kingdom called Tezcoco. This picture-book biography for older readers introduces one of Tezcoco's greatest rulers, a Toltec royal named Nezahualcoyotl, who fought rivals, reclaimed his family's throne, and brought dramatic advancements to his kingdom. Nezahualcoyotl was also a poet whose works have survived, and the packed spreads combine prose accounts of the ruler's life with excerpts from his verse. The dense narrative doesn't shy away from the violent facts about human sacrifice or how Nezahualcoyotl arranged for a rival's death in order to win his bride. The folk-art inspired illustrations echo the area's artistic traditions with beautiful patterning and symbolic imagery and flat, simplified characters reminiscent of hieroglyphics. Groundbreaking in its coverage of exciting history, this book offers details that are rarely presented to young people. Appended chronology, glossary, list of suggested readings, an author's note citing sources, and a map of the area offer further support to young researchers.

Gr 4-6-This unflinching picture-book biography of King Nezahualc-yotl, a ruler of Tezcoco in the pre-Conquest days of Mexico, relates information about his life as documented in the writings of Native historians. It focuses on his life beginning at age 16, when he witnessed his father's murder by a usurper and fled to escape death, through his eventual successful reign. King Nezahualc-yotl's accomplishments are acclaimed: he developed a "legal system" comprised of 80 laws organized in four sections and each managed by a separate "supreme council"; he founded a university and a royal library and developed extensive gardens with a variety of plant species, some still present today. Interspersed with the descriptive facts are some poems that it is believed the king wrote. The colorful Mexican folk-art illustrations reveal many details of daily life: one lovely spread shows Native artisans engaged in various activities such as painting, weaving, and making jewelry. There are also some graphic representations of people being killed. The endpapers show a map of Lake Tezcoco and the surrounding area in the 1400s. An introduction that cites sources, a chronology of the King's life, a glossary, and some suggestions for additional reading are included.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.