Juana Inés.

By staff -- Críticas, 6/1/2007

Gr 4-6-Told in seguidillas, a type of verse used frequently by Juana Inés, this is a story about a girl’s love of learning and her adult devotion to the life of the intellect. Inés defies all norms for a girl born to an illiterate mother in 17th-century Mexico. The child prodigy devours the books in her grandfather’s library, but when she wants to continue her education, she learns that girls cannot attend the university. Thirsting for knowledge, Juana Inés takes the vows of a nun to gain access to the convent, a place for study and refuge from worldly distractions. The story beautifully highlights her achievements but remains mute about the punishments Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz suffered for daring to compete intellectually in a man’s world and within the confines of the Catholic Church. As a Latin American literary and feminist foremother, this aspect of her life merits telling. Colorful illustrations capture the colonial setting of the period and a prose epilog expands on biographical details. Recommended for all grade schools and public libraries serving a Hispanic population.—Gisela Norat, Agnes Scott Coll., Decatur, GA