From School Library Journal
Grade 1–3—In this second story about Napí, the young Mazateca girl's father hasn't returned from work in the fields, so she and her younger brother go in search of him. Their quest leads them on a magical journey upriver and through the jungle, where they encounter animals prominent in Mexican folklore and are transformed into deer. None of the creatures they meet knows where their father is until an armadillo announces, "The family is finally together again." In company with the animals that are "like brothers and sisters, children of the same mother, of the Earth," the children race home to a joyful reunion with their father. "It was so good to see him that I forgot to worry about where he had been," says Napí. The large, flat watercolor spreads extend almost to the full length of the pages, leaving room for the brief text across the bottom. Domi combines the bold colors associated with Mexican culture with large areas of brown washes, perhaps to highlight the siblings' anxiety at their father's disappearance-a neighbor "had seen some men hit him, then take him away"-and the dire situation of the Oaxacan people who must continually fight to keep their land. The transition back to reality happens abruptly and is a bit jarring, and some readers may have difficulty with the juxtaposition of brilliant color and dark shades. Nevertheless, the story may provide some insight into the lives of the poor in Oaxaca and their culture.—
Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Napi (2004) introduced a Mazatec girl living in a rural village in Mexico. Now Napi's father has disappeared, perhaps taken (as her grandfather believes) "because we've been fighting for our land. That's how they treat us poor people when we won't bow down." When Napi and her little brothers go upriver to search for their father, mysterious surprises await them: assistance from talking animals and their own temporary transformation into deer. They return to find their father at home again, which flaws the story. Even children willing to go with the narrative flow from social commentary into magical realism may balk at hearing that the children are too overjoyed at seeing their father to inquire where he has been. The overall sepia tones in the powerful, primitive watercolor paintings make the intense colors in highlighted areas blaze even more brightly. A short glossary of the Mazatec words used in the text is appended, though their meanings are clear in context. Vivid and unusual.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
