About the BookReal-life Santa Fe painter Maria
Hesch (1909–1994) painted innocent narratives of her life as a young girl
growing up along the river and next to her grandfather’s alfalfa field that
linked the family to the nearby church. In Maria Paints the Hills, acclaimed writer
Pat Mora imagines the story of the young Maria revealed in the paintings. She
is a sensitive child, alive to the colors and shapes of her world, a child who
makes of her solitary playtime the companionship of her budding artful imagination.
“Look, Tia,” Maria says excitedly. “See the caballitos
galloping in the fire? The flames look like little horses.” Pat Mora reminds
us that children are the original artists. “I was born in Santa Fe,”
writes painter Maria Hesch, recalling her first stirrings as an artist, “where
I lived with my widowed mother and next door to my Grandpa. It was from them that
I learned the stories, traditions, and customs that I have tried to portray in
my paintings.” Pat Mora is the author of Tomás and the Library
Lady and the recent A Library for Juana, among many books for children, and is
a poet and nonfiction writer of such books as House of Houses, a memoir, and Aunt
Carmen’s Book of Practical Saints. A devoted organizer (El día de
los niños/El día de los libros) and speaker to bilingual audiences
nationwide, Pat Mora is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment
for the Arts and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. She and her family divide their
time between the Cinncinati, Ohio, area and Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Maria
Paints the Hills is a warm and playful book to read over and over so as to savor
the magical imaginations of two gifted artists. Hold this book on your lap so
everyone can enjoy Maria Hesch’s brilliant portrayals of our New Mexican
way of life and Pat Mora’s words that flow like honey.” —Rudolfo
Anaya Highlighted Reviews“This cherished
book is the result of the collaboration of kindred spirits. It would make a lovely
gift for readers of all ages.”—The Santa Fe New Mexican “This
little book is both children’s literature and history. The book includes
color images of 17 paintings executed by Maria Hesch … A concurrent
narrative of Maria’s imaginary life penned by Pat Mora, a respected author
of children’s books, paints a charming verbal portrait from the perspective
of a little girl….Maria Hesch (1909-1994) was a self-taught artist and
is known as Santa Fe’s Grandma Moses. —New Mexico Magazine
“Maria Paints the Hills … offers
readers a nostalgic look at Santa Fe. Illustrated with Maria Hesch’s paintings
created in the early twentieth century, the picture book tells the story of a
little girl whose dream of becoming an artist moves closer to reality when she
receives her first box of paints.”—Albuquerque Journal North
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