The Capybaras

January 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 The chickens live a good life, with plentiful food, a cozy coop, and a roomy pen--until their idyllic existence is interrupted by a family of bedraggled capybaras, on the run from hunting season in the marsh. The chickens are dismayed by the unwelcome addition to the farm, but they decide that the persecuted rodents may stay, as long as they abide by certain rules. After a young capybara rescues a wayward chick, however, tensions thaw, and the disparate groups learn to get along and even delight in each other's company. Soderguit's winning, mostly black-and-white illustrations are stylishly punctuated with occasional pops of color, and the book often lets the appealing artwork speak for itself in the form of wordless pages. Amado's translation provides simple text, but it has depth, offering a gentle introduction to the concepts of persecution and refugees. Sensitive youngsters may be concerned about some of the implications, but ultimately this is a call to love and welcome each other, no matter our differences, and it's proof that acceptance bears the sweetest fruits.

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May 1, 2021
"That was a safe, agreeable place." So begins the tale of a poultry farm upended by the arrival of a group of capybaras (escapees from hunting season), but astute readers will notice that the narrative does not tell the whole story. The chickens may be "comfortable and everyone knew what she was supposed to do," but we see the farmer (shown only from the shoulders down) carrying off the occasional hen who is likely to become supper. When the capybaras arrive, looking a bit stunned and definitely out of place, their "hairy...wet...too big" bodies sharply contrasting with the delicate, light shapes of the poultry, the hens announce a set of rules: "don't make any noise," "don't come near the food," and, worst of all, "don't question the rules." Happily, it doesn't take long for a tiny chick and the smallest capybara, in a series of wordless panels, to make friends. In short order, the capybaras and the hens learn to live together, safe from dogs and farmers, and when hunting season ends and the capybaras prepare to head home to their waterways, the hens decide to join the capybaras in a life of freedom. A final wordless page gives a glimpse of a future when the capybaras and now-free-range hens befriend neighboring sheep. The understated narration pairs brilliantly with the simple but expressive illustrations. Soderguit draws in shades of black on cream paper with accents of red to tell a gentle but subversive story of a community of animals coming together to survive. Read this one with Martin Waddell's Farmer Duck for International Workers' Day. Maeve Visser Knoth

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2021
Hens meet capybaras in this translated gem, first published in Venezuela, from author/illustrator Soderguit. A "safe, agreeable" chicken coop with a red roof sits in a field. Inside, the hens know their roles, and plenty of food keeps them satisfied, even if occasionally a hen is taken away. Life's good. Then...the capybaras arrive. "NO! There was no room for them." But the capybaras cannot go home because of hunting season, so the hens permit the "hairy," "wet," "too big," and too numerous capybaras to stay if they accept the rules, a set of strict guidelines aiming to limit interactions between both groups. Naturally, a young capybara and a wee chick don't abide by these rules, enjoying a bit of play that stirs condemnation from the hens. "The rules were for everyone." But a surprising turn of events leads to an opportunity to tear down the barrier between hen and capybara--and perhaps beyond. On its surface, Soderguit's beguiling picture book offers a direct-enough message: find community in embracing others--even those that seem unfamiliar at first. Yet moments pop up where text and pictures seem at intentional odds, inviting readers to consider a deeper plunge. Aided by an ingenious use of the book's gutter, the sparse text and wordless segments make this tale an unusually meditative piece of work. Similarly, the artwork shuns color for the most part, evoking a muted spirit of optimism. Purely exquisite. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2021
"That was a safe, agreeable place." So begins the tale of a poultry farm upended by the arrival of a group of capybaras (escapees from hunting season), but astute readers will notice that the narrative does not tell the whole story. The chickens may be "comfortable and everyone knew what she was supposed to do," but we see the farmer (shown only from the shoulders down) carrying off the occasional hen who is likely to become supper. When the capybaras arrive, looking a bit stunned and definitely out of place, their "hairy...wet...too big" bodies sharply contrasting with the delicate, light shapes of the poultry, the hens announce a set of rules: "don't make any noise," "don't come near the food," and, worst of all, "don't question the rules." Happily, it doesn't take long for a tiny chick and the smallest capybara, in a series of wordless panels, to make friends. In short order, the capybaras and the hens learn to live together, safe from dogs and farmers, and when hunting season ends and the capybaras prepare to head home to their waterways, the hens decide to join the capybaras in a life of freedom. A final wordless page gives a glimpse of a future when the capybaras and now-free-range hens befriend neighboring sheep. The understated narration pairs brilliantly with the simple but expressive illustrations. Soderguit draws in shades of black on cream paper with accents of red to tell a gentle but subversive story of a community of animals coming together to survive. Read this one with Martin Waddell's Farmer Duck for International Workers' Day.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)