The Children of the Sun – written by Micaela Chirif, illustrated by Juan Palomino, translated from the Spanish by Lawrence Schimel
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026
Based on a traditional creation story of the Inca civilization, The Children of the Sun incorporates evocative language to tell children (and adults) about the origins of this Andean culture. Micaela Chirif’s text, in a lucid translation by Lawrence Schimel, approaches the reader with a sense of wonder. “At first, when the world was new, without even a scratch on it, people didn’t know how to get dressed, comb their hair, or greet one another with a ‘good morning.’” Juan Palomino’s illustrations employ both a wide and narrow focus, showing the grandeur of the environment and the smaller-scale images of newly created humans. What begins with a moody deity ends with scenes of cooperation and gratitude.
Instead of a somber tone, potentially fitting for a record of how the world came to be, Chirif inflects the traditional legend with accessible details. “And, as is so often the case with gods,” the author writes knowingly about Inti the sun god, “there were days when he behaved ruthlessly.” When Inti’s reflection in Lake Titicaca creates a fire in the water, a man and woman emerge. (image) They are Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, siblings who set forth and take in the world. At first pictured as tiny figures within a circle of wavy lines both beneath and above the water’s surface, they are soon observing such miracles as “the blue of the sky, the smell of the grass…guinea pigs, viscachas, foxes, pumas, vicuñas, condors…”
Inti assigns them the foundation of a city, but the path to realizing this goal is confusing. “The earth is as round as a watermelon and, compared to it, humans are much smaller than ants.” An Edenic peacefulness of gathering food and lighting fires eventually confronts obstacles This transition is reflected in the difference between carefully composed groups set against a blue and white background of angled spaces, to a darker and depiction of high mountains, with one orange sun in the distance. When settlements of people who had been alerted to the approach of Inti’s offspring finally see them, these humans are filled with to new emotion of compassion. The black and white drawings of people in the foreground of one page are placed directly under a curving orange line leading to the small fire in the midst of their gathering.
The following two pages are an expanding whirl of people linked together, with intermittent small touches of red, as they engage in various actions. They need a home, as much as Mánco Capac and Mama Ocllo need to build their city. Cusco is founded as the capital of the Incas soon developing from an idea into a concrete reality. Houses, crops, and purposeful tasks become the concrete result of human involvement with gods, generated by a sense of unity.
An informative afterword and glossary of terms are a helpful guide to the story.
Imaginary Elevators 