November 23, 2020
When gray-furred, green-eyed rabbit Conejo’s house blows away in an autumn gale, he isn’t so much angry as dejected. After following “the trace of the wind,” he’s resting, exhausted, when his friend Lobo Lobito rides by on a scooter and offers help. Though they don’t find the missing house, the picnic they share cheers Conejo up. Newcomer Meza works in a striking, folk art–influenced style; plants and trees are flat geometric shapes in deeply saturated hues, and animal characters have masklike faces with big, expressive eyes. As the rabbit continues on, his friends’ offers of support and love sustain him: Perezoso the sloth gives Conejo a gift, and Buhíta the owl plays music and tells stories. After he leaves Buhíta, “Conejo sat with sadness for some time,” until a new breeze sends him in a new direction. An author’s note cites natural disasters in Puerto Rico and Mexico City as the story’s genesis for Meza’s reflection on homelessness and helping loved ones. Friends can’t fix everything when something bad happens, but generosity and warmth can often help until better times arrive. Ages 4–8.
January 1, 2021
Grades K-2 Conejo the rabbit lives comfortably in his cheerful house--until a storm blows the building away. Despondent, he sets out to look for it. As Conejo walks, digital illustrations and collage with a folk art feel reflect a contemporary setting in a stylized manner. He meets up with friends who try to help, but finally he accepts that the house is gone forever and sits with his sadness. He knows he has wonderful friends and beautiful surroundings, but he needs time for his teardrops to fall. When he's ready, he walks again, this time in a different direction that leads to a new home. It is empty until he adds gifts from his friends. The author notes that her inspiration came when her home, Mexico City, was hit by an earthquake--around the same time that Hurricane Maria caused widespread damage in Puerto Rico. This lovely, thoughtful story reminds children to allow themselves to feel sadness, just as they feel love and kindness from others helping and supporting them in their journey home.
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March 1, 2021
Conejo, a long-eared, solemn-looking rabbit, loses his home when a gust of wind blows it away. Tired from searching, he is happy when his wolf friend Lobo Lobito comes along on his motorcycle, and the two ride around, looking for the house. Over a picnic of carrots and apples, Lobo Lobito tries to cheer his friend up: "Everything will be all right." Continuing on alone, Conejo meets his friend Perezoso, a sloth, and then Buhita, an owl, who each listen sympathetically -- one gives him a red flower in a pot, and the other plays music and gives him a hug. Despite appreciating his friends' kindness and care, Conejo sees himself reflected in a stream and his face looks sad: "Conejo sat with sadness for some time." He does finally find a new house, which he fills with memories and the mementos his friends gave him, and the final picture shows them all gathered in his new cozy home. Mexican author/artist Meza uses digital collage to create eye-catching, scene-setting double-page spreads with bright objects set out on cream-colored backgrounds for a clean effect with both a modern and a folk-art feel. Each animal character walks upright and wears clothing, clearly representing humans who draw comfort from their friends (the appended note makes a further connection to people searching for home). Short, poetic sentences deliver Meza's profound message with depth and clarity for even very young children, and the idea that at times it's helpful to sit quietly and grapple with feelings is useful for both kids and the adults in their lives. Susan Dove Lempke
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2021
Conejo, a long-eared, solemn-looking rabbit, loses his home when a gust of wind blows it away. Tired from searching, he is happy when his wolf friend Lobo Lobito comes along on his motorcycle, and the two ride around, looking for the house. Over a picnic of carrots and apples, Lobo Lobito tries to cheer his friend up: "Everything will be all right." Continuing on alone, Conejo meets his friend Perezoso, a sloth, and then Buhita, an owl, who each listen sympathetically -- one gives him a red flower in a pot, and the other plays music and gives him a hug. Despite appreciating his friends' kindness and care, Conejo sees himself reflected in a stream and his face looks sad: "Conejo sat with sadness for some time." He does finally find a new house, which he fills with memories and the mementos his friends gave him, and the final picture shows them all gathered in his new cozy home. Mexican author/artist Meza uses digital collage to create eye-catching, scene-setting double-page spreads with bright objects set out on cream-colored backgrounds for a clean effect with both a modern and a folk-art feel. Each animal character walks upright and wears clothing, clearly representing humans who draw comfort from their friends (the appended note makes a further connection to people searching for home). Short, poetic sentences deliver Meza's profound message with depth and clarity for even very young children, and the idea that at times it's helpful to sit quietly and grapple with feelings is useful for both kids and the adults in their lives.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)