Pancho
Rabbit’s father must travel to the North to work and then send money back to
his family. The family hears that he is
returning and prepares a party but then he doesn’t show up. Pancho decides to go looking for his
father. Taking his father’s favorite foods
he sets off. He soon meets a coyote who
offers to help but as they meet obstacles the coyote demands that Pancho give
him the food he brought. Finally, when
the food is gone, the coyote threatens to eat Pancho. Fortunately, Pancho’s father hears his
screams and comes to rescue him.
In the
author’s note we find out that the coyote is actually a slang term for someone
who helps immigrants get from Mexico to the US so this story takes on a whole
other level as a story of migrant workers sneaking into the US.
I thought
this was a very interesting book. On one
level the story of Pancho and the coyote was very similar to other trickster
type tales. It was evident that the
coyote was going to end up trying to eat Pancho. I knew something else was going on and that
it had to do with migrant workers but it wasn’t until I read the author’s note
that I saw the tie in completely. The
only thing that bothered me was the ending.
Pancho is rescued by his dad, they travel back and celebrate, but then they
talk about how the father will have to go back North if it doesn’t rain. Pancho says he will go with him. It ends with the mother saying she hopes it
rains. To me the ending seemed abrupt…but
maybe it was supposed to be.
Ribbet...
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