Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez

PreS-Gr 2–Children often notice things that adults do not, especially when they are out of the ordinary. Meet Mr. Rodriguez, an older man whose regular, predictable routine is familiar to the children in his small town. All at once, they begin noticing anomalies in his schedule and in his behavior: instead of walking, they see him floating down the street with a fishbowl on his head, and another time he skates down the street while pushing a dog in a sled. After several days of unusual behavior, Mr. Rodriguez disappears, ultimately appearing to the children one final time before he and his series of companions float off together into the sky. Crisp, vibrant illustrations form the foundation of this book, dominating each page and rendering the text secondary. Created with acrylics and digital media, the images include lifelike faces of children alongside detailed, richly colored illustrations. Though Mr. Rodriguez’s behavior is unusual, the text only mildly remarks on that fact, remaining vague at the book’s conclusion when the children determine that he may never return. The story line speaks to the reality of death in a whimsical way, introducing it by way of it occurring to someone known by the children in the book but not someone with whom they were particularly close.