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Walk with Me

“Keep me company on the way home,” a girl says to a big, thickly maned lion. The lion does as she makes the long journey by foot to the outskirts of the large city where she lives. She imagines herself riding on the lion’s back. She picks up a younger sibling at child care and stops at the store “that won’t give us credit anymore” for food, inviting the lion to eat the meal she prepares. She tells the lion he can wait until “Mama gets home from the factory,” or return to the hills. “But then come back when I call.” Against a somber backdrop— crowded city, spare, rundown apartment—the child finds strength and solace in imagination. There are moments of humor in the images—people around her stunned by the lion’s presence—while a final image of great poignancy shows a bedside photograph of her father, absent from her real life, with a thick mane of hair. Thoughtful and moving, this work invites both discussion about what is happening in the story and reflection on imagination and resiliency. This dynamic author/illustrator duo are from Mexico City and Bogota and signs in the illustrations (on buses, buildings, etc.) are in Spanish. ©2017 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng
Translated by Elisa Amado. Translated from the Spanish. Originally published in Mexico.

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 7-10
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Animals (Fiction) City Life Courage Economic Hardship and Poverty Imagination/Imaginary Play Resiliency Translated Books
Diversity subject: Latine

Publisher: Groundwood
Publish Year: 2017
Pages: 24
ISBN: 9781554988570

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Buitrago

Walk with Me