The Pot that Juan Built

Andrews-Goebel, N. (2002). The pot that juan built. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc.

The Pot that Juan Built is a picture book about Juan who lives in Mexico. It describes how his life in his village and how he is the main potter in town. It goes through the process of potting and the details involved. There is a story part as well as a detail and facts part about Juan and the town of Mata Ortiz. There is also an afterword at the end of the book about Juan Quezada's story and the town of Mata Ortiz today.

This book shows Mexican culture. This book also shows the appreciation of art and pottery. You could tie this into art class by having the kids make pottery of their own. It is important to learn about other cultures and students learn better by being hands on. Pottery can be tied into story telling so it is another way for students to be able to tell their story. There will most likely be students in your class from Mexico so it is important to have books that have Mexican culture.