The Popol Vuh is the Sacred Book of the K’iche’, Mayan people who thrived in pre-Columbian Guatemala. First written down in the 16th century, the text relates the creation stories of the Maya: how light came into being, how the earth was shaped, how humans were first made. This new edition for children is quasi-scholarly: there are no footnotes or annotations, but a table of contents, introduction, and glossary are included. Furthermore, cultural authenticity seems to have been a major editorial concern. Character and place names are in the K’iche’ language, and all the collaborators on the book have Central American roots. The author, Victor Montejo, is a Maya Guatemalan anthropologist specializing in Mayan culture at the University of California. Luis Garay, a Nicaraguan-born artist who now lives in Toronto, spent six months researching in Guatemala before producing the illustrations.

Credentials aside, this is a fascinating collection of tales about origins and, more generally, about power. Like all the best stories handed down from the oral tradition, these are replete with fertility motifs, bloodlust, and treachery. Some adults will consider this book unsuitable for young children – too difficult and even too violent – but I am not one of them. This is a book that assumes its readers to be intelligent and resourceful, and I think many young readers and listeners will rise to its challenge. One incentive might be Garay’s luxurious full-page illustrations in watercolour and pen and ink. His lush jungle scenes and dramatic nightscapes reward close scrutiny, and all the paintings capture the sense of fecundity celebrated in the narrative.