Little Rebels

by Yuyi Morales

Overview

Do you know a little rebel? Do you want to be a rebel, too? A powerful new picture book from Caldecott Honoree Yuyi Morales, creator of Dreamers and Bright Star.

Little rebels have a way of finding each other. When these three youngsters come together while playing outside, they feel the pull—these are their people.

Little rebels ask questions. They use language to shape the world, and when no words are right, they make up new ones. They imagine, trust their intuition, and aren’t ashamed to change their minds.

Playing together in good times leads to working together through trouble. When the local lagoon dries up and a bird friend is trapped in the dry bed, the little rebels call on ancestors to show them what to do. Nobody gets left behind.

Caldecott Honoree and six-time Pura Belpré Medalist Yuyi Morales, creator of Dreamers, Viva Frida, and Bright Star, draws on Mexican folklore in this much-anticipated new offering. Little Rebels is as bold and spirited as the young trailblazers it chronicles. Find it also in Spanish as Peques rebeldes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823447541
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/02/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.24(w) x 10.31(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Yuyi Morales was born in Xalapa, Mexico, where she currently resides. She is a Caldecott Honoree and a repeated winner of the prestigious Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration, among other honors. Her titles include Dreamers (A New York Times bestseller), Niño Wrestles the World, Viva Frida, and Bright Star. She lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she still maintains close connections.

Editorial Reviews

Multimedia illustrations both playful and serious depict a lush natural world, showcasing animals and plants alongside the children throughout an engaging, emotionally-secure-feeling telling that offers a powerful message.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Morales wistfully invites readers to consider their relationship with nature, encouraging self-reflection and creativity in equal measure.
—Kirkus Reviews

An encouraging eco-fable, a passionate entreaty to embrace individuality, a psalm to the spirit of community, and more, the book is accompanied by marvelous mixed-media illustrations of unusual proportions and intriguing detail. . . . An incredibly creative commentary, sure to expand and inspire young minds.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-06-13
A band of young naturalists leap forward for change in Morales’ eco-conscious appeal.

“How shall we begin?” The inquiry comes from three diminutive “rebeldes” (Spanish forrebels)—one with basalt-colored skin, one with rich brown skin, and another with vitiligo of the skin. Morales pulls various streaks of inspiration—an Olmec head, a blue land crab—together to weave earth-toned artwork that amazes. So what does it mean to be a little rebel? Apart from appearing in “all colors and forms,” little rebels “take the time we need to find each other,” ask questions, use words to “shape the world we want to live in,” and dream big. The three youngsters merrily travel across the land, joined by a dog, butterflies, and a small bird, before one suggests playing with agüita (water). Arriving at the lagoon, the rebels instead find a dried-up bed of cracked soil, much to their dismay. And then, “KEEEK.” Their little feathered friend falls through a crack. Calling on their older brethren—las abuelas rebeldes—for guidance, the little rebels rise to save the day. Sprinkling a few Spanish words among the predominantly English text, Morales wistfully invites readers to consider their relationship with nature, encouraging self-reflection and creativity in equal measure. Though overstuffed with narration, speech bubbles, and occasional comics-style phrases, this rallying cry nonetheless beckons all dreamers. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.

Gently radical. (guidance on being a “little rebel”)(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews