Pilgrim Codex by

Pilgrim Codex is a story about Mexican immigration told in Aztec-inspired artwork and text.

Pilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour, illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra, translated by Carlos Rodriguez Cortez. Levine Querido, 2025, 38 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 6-10

“We, the Vargas Ramirez family, come from a faraway place north of Tenochtitlan [Mexico City] called Iztapalapa, Land of Clay Upon Water. A land surrounded by cars and dry grass. A place where the pieces of our small world were scattered . . . One day, my dad heard a bird’s song, a beautiful song that rose up and appeared to say tithui, tithui, tithui: let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.

The “beautiful song” has no content, perhaps because our young narrator is not privy to conversations among the grownups in his family. But it is decided that seven people in all, family and friends, would make the dangerous trek to the United States. The journey is by bus after bus, then mile after mile on foot, once crammed in a van to flee local law enforcement. Hunger is a constant companion, as is fear. “Coyotes” are indispensable guides, but also barely trustworthy. At the “Rio Bravo, Place Where the Waters Tangle,” the coyotes order the travelers to strip to their underwear and cross the water holding on to a large tire to keep from sinking. The boy’s mother and pregnant aunt modestly object but must comply. Finally, the sign: “a feathered man flying over metallic trees.” With the help of the Virgen de Guadalupe, they have arrived.

The text is stylized and sometimes obscure. Is the “Evil King of the Other Side” meant to be the president of the United States? Do border patrols howl like wolves? The “grand human river” that pours over the border at the end of their journey will remind older readers of the situation that seemed so out of control during the last four years. They may also dispute the boy’s characterization of his family as “Migrant Warriors.” But this is immigration seen from a very young immigrant’s limited view—illegal, yes, but he’s too young to understand. The striking illustrations, in bold lines and primary colors, are the book’s outstanding feature. Using ancient Aztec symbolism and representation, they support the text while telling their own stories, and  readers can spend hours puzzling out their significance.

Bottom Line: A sympathetic treatment of mass migration told in distinctive style.

Also at Redeemed Reader

• Review: The Sky at Our Feet (MG, starred review) is a sympathetic treatment of illegal immigration that’s fair to both sides. Thread by Thread, a recent picture book, is “a gentle introduction to a theme of pilgrimage and endurance,” according to our review.
• Resource: See our Strangers and Sojourners list of books about refugees.

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