A simple, imaginative story depicting the complex emotional reality of a girl whose father no longer lives at home.
The girl conjures up an imaginary companion — a lion — who will join her on the long walk home from school. He will help her to pick up her baby brother from daycare and shop at the store (which has cut off the family’s credit), and he’ll keep her company all along the way until she is safely home. He will always come back when she needs him, unlike her father whom she sees only in a photograph — a photograph in which he clearly resembles a lion.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
A simple, imaginative story depicting the complex emotional reality of a girl whose father no longer lives at home.
The girl conjures up an imaginary companion — a lion — who will join her on the long walk home from school. He will help her to pick up her baby brother from daycare and shop at the store (which has cut off the family’s credit), and he’ll keep her company all along the way until she is safely home. He will always come back when she needs him, unlike her father whom she sees only in a photograph — a photograph in which he clearly resembles a lion.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Mar 1, 2017 |
| Specifications | pages |
| Keywords | absent parent; poverty; coping with hardship; imagination; translation; loneliness; open-ended; books that prompt guided discussion; hope; brave; empathy; caring; adaptability; responsibility; courage; low level wordless text; visual metaphors; Spanish language; questioning; inferring; IBBY Honor list; A la Orilla del Viento winner; Kirkus Best Picture Books; Publishers weekly starred review; School Library Journal Best Books; picture book; Latin America; |
| Written By |
JAIRO BUITRAGO is a children's book author who has collaborated with Rafael Yockteng on several picture books, including Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits (three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist), Lion and Mouse (two starred reviews) and most recently, Cave Paintings. They won the "A la Orilla del Viento" contest for the Spanish edition of Walk with Me, which was also named to IBBY's Honor List. Their books have also appeared on "Los mejores libros del año" (Venezuela's Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Jairo has also won the Hispanoamericano Castillo prize for children's literature and the Antonio García Cubas Award. He lives in Mexico City. |
| Illustrated by |
RAFAEL YOCKTENG has illustrated many highly acclaimed children’s books, including Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup by Jorge Argueta (USBBY Outstanding International Books) and Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits(three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist) and On the Other Side of the Garden (three starred reviews) by Jairo Buitrago. Together, Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng have won the “A la Orilla del Viento” contest, and their books have been included on IBBY’s Honor List, “Los mejores libros del año” (Venezuela’s Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Rafael lives in Bogotá. |
| Written By |
|
JAIRO BUITRAGO is a children's book author who has collaborated with Rafael Yockteng on several picture books, including Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits (three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist), Lion and Mouse (two starred reviews) and most recently, Cave Paintings. They won the "A la Orilla del Viento" contest for the Spanish edition of Walk with Me, which was also named to IBBY's Honor List. Their books have also appeared on "Los mejores libros del año" (Venezuela's Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Jairo has also won the Hispanoamericano Castillo prize for children's literature and the Antonio García Cubas Award. He lives in Mexico City. |
| Illustrated by |
|
RAFAEL YOCKTENG has illustrated many highly acclaimed children’s books, including Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup by Jorge Argueta (USBBY Outstanding International Books) and Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits(three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist) and On the Other Side of the Garden (three starred reviews) by Jairo Buitrago. Together, Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng have won the “A la Orilla del Viento” contest, and their books have been included on IBBY’s Honor List, “Los mejores libros del año” (Venezuela’s Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Rafael lives in Bogotá. |
| Audience | ages 4 to 7 / grades K to 2 |
| Reading Levels | Lexile AD490L |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 |
Short-listed, Kirkus Prize, 2017
Commended, School Library Journal Best Books, 2017
Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books, 2017
Commended, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, 2017
Commended, Denver Public Library Best Children's & Teen Books, 2017
Commended, ALSC Notable Children's Books, 2018
Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center Best of the Year, 2018
“With guided discussion, youngsters can see beyond the deceptive simplicity of this poignant story. A strong choice for all collections.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Emotionally resonant in the loveliest of ways.” —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
“The duo behind Two White Rabbits returns with another compassionate portrait of a child negotiating difficult circumstances with grace.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“The richly colored, expressionistic multimedia illustrations add a great deal of depth to the minimal text.” —Booklist
“Buitrago and Yockteng present a beautiful and complex story of courage and hope where there seems to be none.” —Horn Book
“"Walk With Me" is refreshingly original, consistently entertaining, and very highly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review
"Emotionally resonant in the loveliest of ways." — Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
"With guided discussion, youngsters can see beyond the deceptive simplicity of this poignant story. A strong choice for all collections." — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
"The duo behind Two White Rabbits returns with another compassionate portrait of a child negotiating difficult circumstances with grace. " — Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW