Tajín and the Twelve Thunders: A Pre-Columbian Myth (A Picture Book) by Magaly Morales (Hardcover)

Childrens Picture Books - Legends, Myths, Fables - Caribbean and Latin America - Science and Nature  - Weather 

Published: 6/2/2026

A mischievous boy tricks the 12 thunder gods in order to create the first hurricanes in Magaly Morales’s debut author-illustrated picture book, a retelling of a Mexican folktale

Tajín is a fun-loving child full of energy and mischief. When his antics prove too rough for even the monkeys of the forest, he’s sent to the pyramid of Los Nichos.

There live the Twelve Thunders, who, with their sweeping capes, thunderous boots, and flashing swords, make the weather. For a time, the boy is on his best behavior while in their service . . . but all too soon, he yearns to join the Thunders in the sky.

Based on a popular Mexican myth, Tajín and the Twelve Thunders is the origin story of how the first hurricanes were created—with the help of one mischievous little boy.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Magaly Morales is the illustrator of several picture books, including What Can You Do with a Paleta?, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award winner; The Courage of the Little Hummingbird: A Tale Told Around the World; and Pura's Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, which received starred reviews in Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. Tajín and the Twelve Thunders is Morales's debut book as both writer and illustrator. She was born and lives in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

"Morales' debut as both author and illustrator projects an infectious sense of delight thanks to a jovial, conspiratorial tone that pulls readers into Tajín's madcap hijinks...A thunderous gem."-- "Kirkus Review"

"Brilliantly colored and boldly outlined...With curriculum tie-ins to folklore, weather, Latin American studies, and Hispanic Heritage month, this thrilling and beautifully illustrated story is a must-read with wide appeal for -primary and upper grades...A spot-on cautionary tale and a perfect addition"-- "School Library Journal"