Book Review of Federico and the Magi's Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story by Beatriz Vidal

Year-round snow covers altitudes 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) above sea level in Latin America. Elsewhere it falls during the southern hemisphere’s winter months of:

• June;
• July;
• August.

The Christmas holidays consequently get summer dates in:

• December;
• January;
• February.

Latin America’s children therefore have no worries about inclement weather delaying or preventing gift-giving on December 24 and January 6. Their parents nevertheless must make sure that:

• Gift requests are illustrated or written;
• Shoes are left on windowsills;
• Trees are trimmed with gold and silver ornaments and with real candles (velas).

All household members additionally need to be asleep or the Three Wise Men accompanied by angels and riding camels will not stop in Federico and the Magi’s Gift.

The evening of January 5, Mariana and Pablo dance in the yard while other village children enjoy hearing firecrackers and lofting globos (balloons).  They find hay and water for the Magi’s camels. Four-year-old Federico gets his drawing of a caballito (little toy horse) to leave next to his zapatos (shoes) on the windowsill. Mariana and Pablo have no trouble falling asleep. Federico is worried about misbehaving and receiving nothing. He leaves to enjoy:

• Crickets humming and night birds rustling among jasmine and roses;
• Micifus the cat chasing luciérnagas (fireflies).

Among the constellations he observes:

• Angels;
• Camels;
• Magi with lots of toys (including his toy horse).

Federico runs back inside to bed and falls asleep, like everyone else.

Beatriz Vidal calls Buenos Aires, Argentina home even though frequent New York City and Paris sojourns reflect artistic connections with:

• Bon Appétit;
• Gourmet;
• The New York Times;
• The New Yorker;
• PBS;
• UNICEF;
• Woman’s Day.

She draws upon training by:

• Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Cordoba University, Argentina;
• Ilonka Karasz (1891 – 1981) in New York.

Her illustrations for other Hispanic culture-related, Spanish language-learning books include:

• Blancaflor (“Snow White”);
• A Gift of Gracias;
• The Legend of El Dorado;
• A Library for Juana.

Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story represents Beatriz’s collaboration with:

• Barbara Ensrud, as editor;
• Alfred A. Knopf, as publisher.

The “must-own” book welcomes:

• Ages 6 – 9 and upward;
• Grades 1 – 3 and onward.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Spanish-speaking children are excited about the visit of the Three Wise Men and the gifts that they brought to Jesus' manger.
Adoración de los Reyes Magos (Adoration of the Magi): oil on panel by El Greco (1541 – April 7, 1614)
Museo Soumaya, Telcel Plaza Carso, Miguel Hidalgo Borough, central Mexico City: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7222_Adoración_de_los_Reyes_Magos.jpg

"Federico and the Magi's Gift" reminds children to be fast asleep or risk being bypassed by the Three Wise Men on camelback and a retinue of angels.
Although camels (Camelus) are Old World natives, thanks to Magi mode of transportation, children in the New World are familiar with the humped ungulates.
Guelta d'Archei, Ennedi, northeastern Chad: Dario Menasce at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GueltaCamels.jpg

In "Federico and the Magi's Gift," Federico looks at the night sky and sees angels, camels, and magi with toys as constellations.
Celestial Snow Angel (catalogued as Sharpless 2-106 or Sh2-106) in constellation Cygnus
Star-Forming Region S106: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), Public Domain, via NASA @ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/snow-angel.html

In Federico and the Magi's Gift, while awaiting the magi's visit, Federico sees the Three Kings With Their Gifts as a constellation.
In their Christianized star atlas (1627), lawyers and celestial cartographers Julius Schiller and Johann Bayer refashioned the pagan Hercules constellation as Trium Regnum ("Three Kings").
J. Schiller et al., Coelum Stellatum Christianum, Constell. VIII, p. 43; Johann Matthias Kager, illustrator: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coelum_Stellatum_Christianum_08.jpg

"eBook Trailer: Federico and the Magi's Gift by Beatriz Vidal" (4:07)
Uploaded Thursday, December 1, 2016, by FL Fable Learning to Vimeo ~ URL: https://vimeo.com/193953964
<a href="https://vimeo.com/193953964">eBook Trailer: FEDERICO AND THE MAGI'S GIFT by Beatriz Vidal from Fable Learning on Vimeo</a>.

“Beatriz Vidal Biography.” Beatriz Vidal.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.beatrizvidal.com/bio.html

Callahan, Ashley. 2003. Enchanting Modern: Ilonka Karasz. Athens, GA: (University of) Georgia Museum of Art.

“Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story by Beatriz Vidal.” Starwalk Kids.com. Great Neck, NY: StarWalk Kids Media, Seymour Science LLC. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://starwalkkids.com/starwalkkids-books/products/1-books/10373-federico-and-the-magi-s-gift.html

“Ilonka Karasz.” All Posters.com: Art > Artists > Artists by Name > K. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.allposters.com/-st/Ilonka-Karasz-Posters_c146854_.htm

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• Available at: http://www.art.com/gallery/id--a420211/ilonka-karasz-posters.htm

“Ilonka Karasz Biography.” The Annex Galleries: Artists > Biographies. Santa Rosa, California. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.annexgalleries.com/artists/biography/1196/Karasz/Ilonka

“The Ilonka Karasz New Yorker Covers.” Condé Nast Store.com: Magazines > The New Yorker > New Yorker Covers > New Yorker Covers Artists. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.condenaststore.com/-st/Ilonka-Karasz-New-Yorker-Covers-Prints_c147260_.htm

“Lamelle (designed ca. 1934 by Ilonka Karasz).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection > The Collection Online > Search the Collection. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/482641

Maxwell, William. 1946. The Heavenly Tenants. Pictures by Ilonka Karasz. New York, NY; and London, England: Harper & Brothers.

McGinley, Phyllis. 1958. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Decorations by Ilonka Karasz. New York, NY: Viking Press.  

“Mr. Nyland.” Nyland Group.org: Presidio Gurdjieff Group, Tucson > Pages > More about Nyland. Tucson, Arizona. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

• Available at: http://nylandgroup.org/pages/moreaboutnyland.html

Wood, Clement. 1929. The Outline of Man’s Knowledge: The Story of History, Science, Literature, Art, Religion, Philosophy. Decorations by Louis Bromberg. Maps by Ilonka Karasz. New York, NY: Lewis Copeland Company.

Vidal, Beatriz. 2004. Federico and the Magi's Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Borzoi Book.