Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Brown, Monica

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)

A fascinating bilingual picture book biography of Peruvian archaeologist and national icon Julio C. Tello, who unearthed Peru's ancient cultures and fostered pride in the country's Indigenous history.

Growing up in the late 1800s, Julio Tello, an Indigenous boy, spent time exploring the caves and burial grounds in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Nothing scared Julio, not even the ancient human skulls he found. His bravery earned him the boyhood nickname Sharuko, which means "brave" in Quechua, the language of the Native people of Peru.

At the age of twelve, Julio moved to Lima to continue his education. While in medical school, he discovered an article about the skulls he had found. The skulls had long ago been sent to Lima to be studied by scientists. The article renewed Julio's interest in his ancestry, and he decided to devote his medical skills to the study of Peru's Indigenous history.

Over his lifetime, Julio Tello made many revolutionary discoveries at archaeological sites around Peru, and he worked to preserve the historical treasures he excavated. He showed that Peru's Indigenous cultures had been established thousands of years ago, disproving the popular belief that Peruvian culture had been introduced more recently from other countries. He fostered pride in his country's Indigenous ancestry, making him a hero to all Peruvians. Because of the brave man once known as Sharuko, people around the world today know of Peru's long history and its living cultural legacy.

Author: Monica Brown
Publisher: Children's Book Press (CA)
Published: 08/18/2020
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 10.60w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780892394234
Language: Spanish
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.2
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 510108 / Sharuko: Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello

Award: Pura Belpre Award - Honor Book

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2020
School Library Journal 06/01/2020 pg. 78
Shelf Awareness 05/26/2020
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2020
Booklist 06/01/2020 pg. 70
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2020 pg. 148
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author

Monica Brown is the award-winning author of over thirty books for children, including Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/no combina, Sharuko, Maya's Blanket/la manta de Maya, Waiting for the Biblioburro, Frida and Her Animalitos, and El Cuarto Turquesa/The Turquoise Room, as well as the Lola Levine chapter book series, among many others. She is the recipient of the Christopher Award, two Américas Awards, and multiple starred reviews. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages, and has appeared in the NYTimes, The Washington Post, and on NPR's All Things Considered. When not writing for children, Brown serves as a professor of English at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches about US Latino and multicultural literature. Brown lives with her family in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her website is monicabrown.net.

Elisa Chavarri is a full-time illustrator who graduated with honors from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Classical Animation and minored in Comics. Born in Peru, she now lives with her husband and their daughter, cat, and dog in northern Michigan.