Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)
A fascinating bilingual picture book biography of Peruvian archaeologist and national icon Julio C. Tello, who unearthed Peru's ancient cultures and fostered pride in the country's Indigenous history.
Growing up in the late 1800s, Julio Tello, an Indigenous boy, spent time exploring the caves and burial grounds in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Nothing scared Julio, not even the ancient human skulls he found. His bravery earned him the boyhood nickname Sharuko, which means "brave" in Quechua, the language of the Native people of Peru.
At the age of twelve, Julio moved to Lima to continue his education. While in medical school, he discovered an article about the skulls he had found. The skulls had long ago been sent to Lima to be studied by scientists. The article renewed Julio's interest in his ancestry, and he decided to devote his medical skills to the study of Peru's Indigenous history.
Over his lifetime, Julio Tello made many revolutionary discoveries at archaeological sites around Peru, and he worked to preserve the historical treasures he excavated. He showed that Peru's Indigenous cultures had been established thousands of years ago, disproving the popular belief that Peruvian culture had been introduced more recently from other countries. He fostered pride in his country's Indigenous ancestry, making him a hero to all Peruvians. Because of the brave man once known as Sharuko, people around the world today know of Peru's long history and its living cultural legacy.
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Monica Brown is the award-winning author of over thirty books for children, including Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/no combina, Sharuko, Maya's Blanket/la manta de Maya, Waiting for the Biblioburro, Frida and Her Animalitos, and El Cuarto Turquesa/The Turquoise Room, as well as the Lola Levine chapter book series, among many others. She is the recipient of the Christopher Award, two Américas Awards, and multiple starred reviews. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages, and has appeared in the NYTimes, The Washington Post, and on NPR's All Things Considered. When not writing for children, Brown serves as a professor of English at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches about US Latino and multicultural literature. Brown lives with her family in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her website is monicabrown.net.
Elisa Chavarri is a full-time illustrator who graduated with honors from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Classical Animation and minored in Comics. Born in Peru, she now lives with her husband and their daughter, cat, and dog in northern Michigan.
* "A highly recommended and inspiring portrayal of dedication and perseverance for today's generation of explorers." -- School Library Journal, starred review
* "[S]ure to inspire young archaeologists-to-be." -- Booklist, starred review
* "Informative and engaging. . . Details in the art invite visual inquiry into renderings of colorful Paracas textiles and sculpted cabezas clavas from the archaeological site Chavín de Huántar. Author and illustrator notes affirm Brown's and Chavarrí's (both of Peruvian descent) commitment to perpetuating Peru's Indigenous culture." -- The Horn Book, starred review
"Brown's account of Tello's life and achievements is compelling and engaging, and the accompanying artwork goes a long way toward giving a real sense of place to the narration. . . An engaging account of a man who dedicated his life to telling Peru's long history." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Brown, who has written about many important Latinx figures (Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos) succeeds again in making the passionate pursuit of a profession exciting for young readers." -- Shelf Awareness
"[A]n excellent springboard for starting discussions among cross-cultural groups of readers and listeners and an ideal vehicle for social studies educators to introduce concepts in historiography." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)
ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books of the Year - School Library Journal
Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
Best Children's Books of the Year Outstanding - Bank Street College of Education
Best of the Best Books - Chicago Public Library
Horn Book Fanfare - The Horn Book
Junior Library Guild Selection
Notable Books for a Global Society - International Literacy Association (ILA)
Premio Campoy-Ada (Premio de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil) Honorable Mention 2023 - University of Texas at San Antonio
Texas Bluebonnet Award Shortlist - Texas Library Association (TLA)
