Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. Tricksters from around the world echo in the character of Conejito , 0 Little Rabbit, who emerges unscathed from a risky journey in this Panamanian folktale. He must go up the mountain to visit his aunt, but how will he evade Senor Zorro (Mr. Fox), Senor Tigre (Mr. Tiger), and Senor Leon (Mr. Lion)? Clever Conejito stalls, telling them that he is much too skinny ( Flaquito!0 ) but that when he returns from his aunt's he will be plump ( Gordito!0 ) .0 Sure enough, Tia Monica feeds him up until he is "healthy and strong and fat as a butterball," then sends him home with sly advice about how to distract the predators. Rhyming refrains invite the participation of young listeners, who will especially enjoy singing Conejito's special "Tia Monica Song" to the tune provided, and repeating the smoothly incorporated Spanish words and phrases (for which a pronunciation guide is appended). Valerio's splashy tropical colors and elongated, rubbery characters, often stretching across an entire spread, capture the tale's bouncing energy. --GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The title hero (whose name means "Little Rabbit") is off to visit his aunt in the mountains. "I have a sweet old auntie,/ my Tia Monica!" sings Conejito. "And when she goes out dancing... / they all say, 'Ooo la la!' " He encounters three predators but escapes by promising them he'll be tastier on the way back: "[Tia Monica] is going to feed me cakes and cookies and every good thing/ until I am Gordito! Gordito! Gordito!" But his aunt is clever, too, and after plumping up Conejito (with fruits and vegetables as well as sweets), she stuffs him into a barrel so he can roll past the danger and back to Mam . MacDonald's (Fat Cat) text, with its giddy, kick-up-your-heels feel, presents a wealth of audience participation opportunities. She's chosen 13 expressive Spanish words and phrases to punctuate the story, and repeats them judiciously throughout. The text also boasts several refrains in addition to the Tia Monica song (which can be sung using the melody on the final page). But Valerio's (Do You Have a Hat?) pictures are not quite as successful. The book's elongated format seems ideal for the extended curvilinear lines he favors (the rabbits' ears often take up half the spreads), and the illustrations featuring the rabbit family take the best advantage of the layout. But the almost maniacal energy of the other scenes, coupled with a scattered compositional focus, often makes it difficult to know where to look first. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Based on a folktale from Panama, this lively retelling has a delightful blend of Spanish and English. MacDonald skillfully provides word meanings in context, as in this example: Conejito is told by his Mama that when he visits T'a M-nica, "She will feed you cakes and cookies and every good thing-until you are aGordito! aGordito! aGordito! Fat! Fat! Fat!" The plot skips along predictably as Conejito meets and tricks Se-or Zorro (Mr. Fox), Se-or Tigre (Mr. Tiger), and Se-or Leon (Mr. Lion). Children will eagerly join in singing Conejito's song: "I have a sweet old auntie,/my T'a Monica!/And when she goes out dancing-/they all say `Ooo la la!'" Valerio's full-color acrylic illustrations stretch across each spread, reflecting a folk-art motif that perfectly complements the story. Movement and energy are captured in the animated characters. A pronunciation guide and an author's note giving the source for both the story and song are helpful additions. This book is sure to encourage participation. It begs to be read aloud with a group.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The author has added a Puerto Rican dancing song as a refrain to this tale from Panama. Conejito (Little Bunny) must escape from Senors Zorro (the fox), Tigre, and Leon, who all want to eat him for lunch. His tia Monica shows him the way to evade the predators. The engaging read-aloud is accompanied by playful art. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
MacDonald weaves context-translated Spanish and a simple campfire song into this easy-to-learn tale of a young rabbit who outwits three predators with some help from his canny Auntie. Bounding up the mountain to grow, "¡Gordito! ¡Gordito! ¡Gordito!" on Tia M¿nica's cakes and cookies, Little Bunny encounters Se¿ors Zorro, Tigre and Le¿n. Putting them off with a promise that he'll be much fatter coming back down, Conejito eats and dances with Tia M¿nica until he's "healthy and strong and fat as a butterball!"--whereupon Tia M¿nica pops him into a barrel and sends him rolling safely home. Valrio uses warm colors in the full bleed illustrations, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out the ears and tails of his rubbery figures to create a sense of exuberant motion. A lively, and less violent, variation on Betsy Bang's Bengali version, The Old Woman and the Red Pumpkin (1975), illustrated by Molly Garrett Bang. (source note) (Picture book/folktale. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
