Vida: The Mice, the Cat, and the Alebrije

by Duncan Tonatiuh

Overview

From Sibert Award– and Pura Belpré Medal–winning creator Duncan Tonatiuh comes a highly original fable inspired by Mexican folk art

The city of Mousetepec is a lively place filled with color, music, and alegría (joy). But everything changes one night when the shadow of un gato appears, growing larger and larger until it looms over the whole city. Fiestas are cancelled and the mercado empties as the cat terrorizes the townsfolk.

To save their town, two little mouse siblings—Vida and her brother, Máximo—make a brave plan to scare away the cat after a bright, fantastical creature called an alebrije appears to them in a dream.

Acclaimed author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh presents this imaginative fable that will encourage young readers to confront any “shadows” they may face in their lives with a spirit of courage and alegría.

Includes a note on alebrijes, the inspiration behind this fable, glossary, pronunciation guide, and bibliography

Also available: Vida: Los ratones, el gato y el alebrije (Spanish Edition)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419764592
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/11/2025
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author-illustrator. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His artwork is inspired by pre-Columbian art. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past but are relevant to today’s people, especially children. His books include A Land of Books, Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns, and Separate Is Never Equal. He currently lives in San Miguel with his family but travels in the United States often.

Editorial Reviews

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Tonatiuh expertly maintains a brisk pace that engages and tickles. His familiar pre-Columbian-flavored artwork beautifully complements this simply told yet moving fable of collective resistance, boasting bursts of color and provocative shadows across splendid double-page spreads...Utterly mesmerizing."

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2025-06-13
Artistically minded rodents fight back against their feline terrorizer in Tonatiuh’s prescient fable.

On a dreadful, star-filled night, a looming shadow (“¡Un gato!”) falls over the bustling, effervescent town of Mousetepec, and everything changes. As the cat uses its terrible claws to frighten the residents, Mousetepec loses its colorful spirit: The mousefolk stay home, the mercado closes, the fiestas stop, the plaza remains quiet, and the raspado cart stands abandoned. To bring cheer back into their lives, Vida and her brother, Máximo, start painting household objects—containers, jugs, bottles—in kaleidoscopic colors while transforming old buckets and cereal boxes into vibrant masks. When Máximo wanders outside in an ill-timed attempt to bring color back to the town, Vida rushes to his aid, donning one of their frightfully colorful masks to scare the lunging cat away. The confrontation spurs Vida to dream of a large neon creature called an alebrije, which inspires a plan to scare away the creature that’s been menacing Mousetepec. Tonatiuh expertly maintains a brisk pace that engages and tickles. His familiar pre-Columbian-flavored artwork beautifully complements this simply told yet moving fable of collective resistance, boasting bursts of color and provocative shadows across splendid double-page spreads. Insightful backmatter on alebrijes—folk art sculptures—and the tale’s origins draw incisive parallels between the art form’s history in Mexico and the increasing violence that has afflicted the country over the past few decades.

Utterly mesmerizing. (glossary and pronunciation guide, bibliography)(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews