Kusikiy, A Child from Taquile, Peru

... When the Llama Constellation is missing from the sky, and the drought is affecting the crops, Kusikiy flies with Condor to the highest snowed peak to ask the Apu, the Guardian Spirit of the Mountain for the secrets of the rain. KUSIKIY A CHILD FROM TAQUILE, PERU The story of a loving and adventurous child offering children of all ages a multitude of opportunities to gain knowledge, to be entertained and be reminded that our world is formed by people who have different ways of thinking. This is a story that allows children to identify with a child from a foreign land, enhancing their understanding and empathy, which will extend to the significant groups in their community and the wider multicultural world. It is a book that gives parents and educators a visual and appealing way to engage children in a dialogue about traditional cultures, the meaning of community, sustainability and responsibility for our environment.

When the stars are missing from the sky, Kusikiy flies towards the highest peaks to meet the APU, the Guardian Spirit of the Great Glacier to ask for his help. Kusikiy learns from Condor his friend the importance of the Glaciers: "... Kusikiy, the Glacier's breath keeps the rhythms of oceans and lakes." The story of Kusikiy a Child from Taquile, Peru, invites children to discover and learn more about the Great Glaciers and their environmental impact in our planet. The story has the intention to bring awareness to the great glaciers and the environmental global climate. The story remind us that children are concern for Climate Change and the Earth environmental crisis. The story, its characters, animals, forces of nature and heroic central figure make it a modern day fable and a myth that illustrates important lessons for our contemporary global culture. Mercedes Cecilia has created a story where children imagination is free to play, as well as discover new voices and lands. Her pastel paintings gives a sense of timeless innocence, delectable for the young reader not ready yet to give up pictures.

Mercedes Cecilia lives in Woodstock, New York since 1986. American Citizen Born in Peru to a Peruvian family. Mercedes is a community visionary. In 1985, she created "Art for All School and Children's Museum" and developed programs to create awareness in the importance of Arts in Education and the healing benefits of the Expressive Arts. Art for All School pioneered community workshops and seminars in "Healing and Creativity", "Meditation, Nutrition and Art ". Organized several cross-generational community projects including: "Painting Murals: Our Villages, Our Towns", Hand made Books: "Tales and happenings in our Towns. Mercedes developed the "First Folk Art Festival of the Catskills, which continues gathering thousands of Folk Art lovers for the last 19 years. Mercedes co-founded and curated the First All Inclusive Art Gallery of the Catskills Mountain Region. Art exhibitions by regional artists, folk artists and by children brought a new art experience in the community Mercedes organized three Community Centers in Upstate New York and developed school and community multicultural events and programs in Creativity and Healing to foster the well being of children in their community. From and interview with Mercedes Cecilia: "Like most children born in Peru I was taught how to knit, weave and make clay figurines to tell stories. I was very young when I discovered I could draw a sweater or paint a tapestry of colors easier than I could weave in a loom or knit with wool. I carried my color pencils everywhere... I drew mountains, trees, sun and moons, portraits of my family and friends. When we visited family I took my drawings with me and told stories with my "paper tapestries". When I was 5 years old I crayoned a three feet blue whale on the pink wall of my grandparent's home. Aunts and cousins answered my call to come and see my whale and listened to my story. Their eyes became very round as they stared at the drawing of the whale for a long time. After a while they agreed that the drawing of the whale looked good on the pink wall. Our aunt, Tia Carmen, announced while holding her laughter. "We can not have more whales on walls, let's get a ream of paper." At 8 years old, my parents gave me a box with brushes and oil tubes to keep me still while recovering from my appendix operation. I painted everyday and healed very fast. This experience inspired me to study Traditional Naturopathic Medicine, meditation, fine arts and the art of healing: Jin Shin Jyutsu." www.jinshinjyutsu-mercedes.com