Color, creativity, and culture are front and center in Duncan Tonatiuh's energetic Vida: The Mice, the Cat, and the Alebrije, a worthy entry in Tonatiuh's growing series of Mexican-inspired folktale picture books (Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns; The Princess and the Warrior).
Vida is a mouse who lives in Mousetepec, a bustling city full of music, mercados, and fiestas. She lives with her banda-playing dad, piñata-making mother, and younger brother, Máximo. One night a wild cat pounces from the shadows, trashing the city and scaring the mice into hiding. With the markets empty of the people, their food, and music, Mousetepec begins to turn lifeless and gray. When Vida has a dream featuring an alebrije, a fantastical Mexican folk creature, she rallies the community to build their own alebrije. Together, the mousefolk use the alebrije, instruments, and their voices to scare off the villainous feline and return the city to its bright, bustling glory.
A brief note at book's end explains that Mexican artist Pedro Linares is "known for coining the word and concept of 'alebrije.' " Included alongside this description is an image of one of Linares's sculptures, painted in bright, clashing colors with several different patterns. Using thick black outlines and fully saturated colors, Tonatiuh's expressive hand-drawn and digital collage work mirrors the tactile and prismatic elements of such sculptures. Innately political, and bursting at the seams with color, Vida is a reminder that creativity and community are valuable tools to defeat the shadows that threaten peace and happiness. --Luis G. Rendon