IF YOU EVER NEED A FRIEND: AN ALEBRIJE STORY, by Nadine Fonseca and Lourdes Villagómez, Shadow Mountain, Oct. 1, 2024, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 8-10)
A boy learns to identify and face his emotions in If You Ever Need a Friend: An Alebrije Story, by Nadine Fonseca and Lourdes Villagómez.
Joaquin is having a hard day at school. He struggles to speak up in class even though he knows the answers, he doesn’t feel included when trying to play soccer with his friends, and he ends up sitting alone during recess—feeling invisible.
But when he investigates a strange shimmery light by the playground slide, he is transported to a special forest filled with fantastical creatures known as alebrijes, or magic companion animals.
His friend, Imogen, introduces Joaquin to several alebrijes, and the special creatures share the ways they help people manage their emotions. One creature roars like a lion with Imogen when she feels angry and needs to let it out. Another one helps Noemi blend into the background like a chameleon when she is feeling nervous and needs a moment to herself. A third alebrije has big ears to hear all of Tío Andres’s worries.
Joaquin learns how to identify his needs and create an alebrije specifically for him, and when he returns to school, he is no longer feeling alone or invisible. With his new, fantastical friend helping him, Joaquin’s hard day is now one of his best yet. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
If You Ever Need a Friend utilizes magical realism and Mesoamerican mythical creatures to help children deal with their emotions. Author Nadine Fonseca’s writing is straightforward and artist Lourdes Villagómez’s illustrations are colorful and full of life.
While the product/publisher information about If You Ever Need a Friend says ages 8-10, I think it’s a mistake. The illustrations and feel much younger, probably ages 5-7. It’s very much a “message” book that little kids don’t mind, but it would be a hard pass for most 8- to 10-year-olds.
That said, the book does have merit and younger readers may find it a helpful social-emotional tool.
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