Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale - Hardcover

Tonatiuh, Duncan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1419705830 ISBN 13: 9781419705830

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2013

Synopsis

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote is an allegorical picture book about the hardships and struggles of immigration from award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh.
 
A Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Honor Book and ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Book
 
Papa Rabbit left two years ago to travel far away north to find work in the great carrot and lettuce fields to earn money for his family. When Papa does not return home on the designated day, Pancho sets out to find him.
 
He packs Papa’s favorite meal—mole, rice and beans, a heap of still-warm tortillas, and a jug full of fresh aguamiel—and heads north. Along the way, Pancho crosses a river, climbs a fence, and passes through a tunnel guarded by uniformed, bribe-taking snakes. He soon meets a coyote, who offers to help Pancho in exchange for some of Papa’s favorite foods. They travel together until the food is gone and the coyote decides he is still hungry . . . for Pancho!
 
Tonatiuh enlivens Pancho’s story with the spirit of regional folklore, and he adds cultural atmosphere in arresting, flat folk art filled with cultural references. Of course, “coyote” has two meanings here. With tenderness and honesty, he brings to light the trials and tribulations facing families who seek to make better lives for themselves and their children by illegally crossing borders.
 
“Incandescent, humane and terribly necessary.” ―Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
 
“Pancho Rabbit’s trip has the feel of a classic fable or fairy tale.” ―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

About this title

About the Author

Duncan Tonatiuh is a Mexican American award-winning author and illustrator known for children’s books that explore history, identity, and social justice. Born in Mexico City and raised in San Miguel de Allende, he later studied at Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City.

His distinctive illustration style, inspired by pre-Columbian art―particularly the Mixtec codices―gives his books a unique visual identity. His work often focuses on Latino heritage, immigration, and civil rights, helping young readers connect with history and see their own experiences reflected in stories.

Tonatiuh’s books have received numerous honors, including the Pura Belpré Medal, the Robert F. Sibert Award, and multiple New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book selections.

Reviews

In this pointed allegory, Pancho, a young rabbit, sets out for El Norte to find his father, who is late returning from the great carrot and lettuce fields. He falls in with a ravenous coyote who offers to guide him over the border (for a price), but when the food runs out, so does Pancho’s luck. In a rather large coincidence, he’s rescued from death by his Papá. Along the way, Pancho crosses a river, climbs a fence, and passes through a tunnel guarded by uniformed, bribe-taking snakes. Tonatiuh shapes his story along strong folkloric patterns, and he adds atmosphere aplenty in arresting, flat folk art with cultural references (coyote is the term for someone who smuggles people across the border). He closes with a critical, research-based author’s note about who illegal immigrants are and the dangers they face, capped by a list of web reports and resources. The depiction of the border’s barriers and those who patrol them may be discomfiting for some, but with so little on the topic available for younger readers, it’s good to have a book that can be read at several levels. This will spark strong responses and needed discussion. Preschool-Grade 1. --John Peters

Edition details

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1419705830
• ISBN 13: 9781419705830
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32