Uncle Snake, a children's picture book by Matthew Gollub and Leovigildo Martinez. 1996 first edition.

Written by Matthew Gollub. Illustrated by Leovigildo Martinez. First edition, 1996. Tambourine Books. New York.

"Long ago, before there was lightning, stormy nights stayed as black as pitch. Thunder crackled, rain clouds burs. Andone fearless boy would run outside to play. Up and down hills, he ran as swiftly as wind.

"Once while it stormed, he found villagers gathered before a cave. Strange lights flickered from the cave, and people heard hissing and rattling from within. "The cave has an awful power," warned the boy's father. "Don't go in, or you may never come out."

Front Flap

"Something unearthly happens when the boy ventures into the forbidden cave, and no curandero can change him back to what he was. Only the nahual, a shape-changing magic worker holds out hope: "You are destined to show the world something new." Twenty years later, the young man now known as Uncle Snake finds out what that glorious something is."

The story of Uncle Snake is inspired by ancient Oaxacan belief that a snake in the sky (lightening) brings rain.

Matthew Gollub has authored over 20 picture books that have received numerous national awards. His unique Jazz Fly series, featuring his own narrations set to jazz music, showcases his talent for blending language, rhythm, and life. A dynamic speaker, Gollub has inspired audiences in schools across the globe, sharing his love for reading, writing, and diverse cultures.

Leovigildo Martínez Torres (1959 - ) is a native of Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. He attended Centro de Educacion Artistica de Oaxaca in 1977 and attended workshops at the Taller de Artes Plasticas Rufino Tamayo. Martínez's work has been showcased in solo exhibitions in Santa Fe, NM; Los Angeles, CA; Tokyo, Japan and other important cities. Martinez and Gollub also collaborated on The Moon Was at a Fiesta.

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Condition: Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear; light wear along the upper edge, front and back, with a tiny white scuff and small crease on the back. Illustrated cover boards. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.