This allegorical picture book about the hardships and struggles of immigration from award-winning children's book author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh tells the story of a young rabbit named Pancho eagerly awaiting his papa's return.

Papa Rabbit left two years ago to travel far away north to find work in the great carrot and lettuce fields to earn money for his family. When Papa does not return home on the designated day, Pancho sets out to find him.

He packs Papa's favorite meal--mole, rice and beans, a heap of still-warm tortillas, and a jug full of fresh aguamiel--and heads north. Along the way, Pancho crosses a river, climbs a fence, and passes through a tunnel guarded by uniformed, bribe-taking snakes. He soon meets a coyote, who offers to help Pancho in exchange for some of Papa's favorite foods. They travel together until the food is gone and the coyote decides he is still hungry . . . for Pancho!

Tonatiuh enlivens Pancho's story with the spirit of regional folklore, and he adds cultural atmosphere in arresting, flat folk art filled with cultural references. Of course, "coyote" has two meanings here. With tenderness and honesty, he brings to light the trials and tribulations facing families who seek to make better lives for themselves and their children by illegally crossing borders.