Pilgrim Codex

Written by Vivian Mansour · Translated by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez · Illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra

A family embarks on a perilous journey north, seeking a better life amidst mythical landscapes and real dangers.

3.9 Goodreads · 115 ratings

48 pages· 2,384 words· Est. 19 min read-aloud· ~560L

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In a land where dreams are scattered, a boy and his family hear a call to journey north. Leaving Iztapalapa, they face treacherous paths, fleeing threats and navigating mystical terrains. As they travel from the Land of the Frogs to the River Where the Waters Tangle, they confront darkness and danger, driven by hope for a better life. Will they find the sanctuary they seek, or will the journey transform them in unexpected ways? Experience their odyssey through the eyes of a child in this vivid tale of courage and resilience.

From the publisher

For fans of Duncan Tonatiuh and Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers, a one-of-a-kind picture book about one immigrant family’s journey north, illustrated in the vein of an ancient codex and drawing upon Mesoamerican mythology. We, the Vargas Ramírez family, come from a faraway place north of Tenochtitlan called Iztapalapa, Land of Clay Upon Water. A land surrounded by cars and dry grass; a place where the pieces of our small world were scattered. For some time we lived there, but then one day my father heard a beautiful birdsong that rose up and appeared to say tihui, tihui, tihui: let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. And so we gathered up our friends who made up that small world and decided to head north, for the other side, and a better life. Together the Boy and his family will journey from the Land of the Frogs to The Place Where Feet Cry to the River Where the Waters Tangle, fleeing Gunmen and braving Coyotes and plunging darknesses as black as an obsidian forest. Originally published in Mexico, Pilgrim Codex (Códice peregrino) captures through the eyes of a child one family’s part in the ever-changing and fleeting story of the brave migrant warriors who search for a better place to live.