Montezuma’s Tantrum
by Nuria Gómez Benet; illus. by Santiago Solís Montes de Oca; trans. from Spanish by Elisa Amado
Primary    Aldana Libros/Greystone Kids    48 pp.
10/24    9781778400940    $15.95

Aztec emperor Montezuma is having a bad day in this playful take on Mesoamerican history and mythology. His court can’t cheer him up with “a beautiful suit of armor,” “a headdress made of a thousand feathers,” sacrifices, or dancing. His snake-like helper tries to convince Montezuma to complete his duties and eventually gets fed up: “You are in an even worse mood than Quetzalcóatl, the plumed serpent.” The only thing that soothes the angry emperor is an elaborately prepared gourd of hot chocolate. Feeling better, Montezuma declares, “Chocolate for all because it gladdens the heart!” Lively digital illustrations with hand-drawn textures in pinks, oranges, and teals depict the pouty emperor and the human and animal members of his court as mostly friendly (details such as the animal sacrifices are lightly alluded to). The appended glossary includes words in English, Spanish, and Náhuatl and mentions some similarities between the Aztec and Mayan cultures. It also acknowledges both the attacks by Spanish missionaries on the Aztecs and the preservation of Aztec culture through language and—of course—hot chocolate.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.