“I have a sweet old auntie, my Tía Mónica! And when she goes out dancing . . . they all say, 'Ooo la la!’ ” Dancing and leaping his way up the mountain to visit his Tía Mónica, Conejito is so busy singing that he runs—“Whunk!”—first into Señor Zorro (Mr. Fox), then into Señor Tigre (Mr. Tiger), and finally into Señor León (Mr. Lion). They each want to eat the skinny little rabbit, but Conejito convinces them to wait until he comes back—by then his Tía Mónica will have made him “¡Gordito! ¡Gordito! ¡Gordito!” (Fat! Fat! Fat!). Of course Tía Mónica has a plan to keep Conejito safe in this merry tale. Margaret Read MacDonald skillfully weaves Spanish words into her vivacious retelling, which is charmingly illustrated by Geraldo Valério’s energetic, brightly hued paintings. (Ages 4–7)

An all-star author-illustrator team delivers a timeless story about finding love and acceptance.