Albuquerque author Rudolfo Anaya’s latest children's book, “The First Tortilla” has been chosen for the Land of Enchantment Book Award, an award designed to encourage New Mexico youth to read books of high literary quality. The award is sponsored by the New Mexico Library Association and the New Mexico International Reading Association and includes master reading lists for children and young adults.
“The First Tortilla” is the story of a young Mexican girl who saves her village by making the first tortilla with the help of the Mountain Spirit. Taos artist Amy Cordova illustrated the book.
Rudolfo Anaya, widely acclaimed as one of the founders of modern Chicano literature, is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. Anaya was presented with the National Medal of Arts for literature in 2001 and his novel “Alburquerque” won the PEN Center West Award for Fiction.
He is best known for the classic “Bless Me Ultima,” now being read nationwide as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” program. The Albuquerque Museum Foundation named him its “Notable New Mexican” in April 2007.
“The First Tortilla” is available at bookstores, online, or directly from the University of New Mexico Press: 800-249-7737 or UNM Press.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu