A little brown dog named Pancho wanders into a Mexican village on St. Anthony Abbott's Feast Day. He discovers that the people will enjoy good things to eat, and later there will be a blessing of the animals. Pancho speaks with the burro that plows the field where the corn is grown, the hen who lays the eggs used to make the bread, and the goat who gives the milk from which the cheese is made. Pancho decides the animals need a feast too. So he begins to collect wheat cakes, corn, and cheese and invites the animals to enjoy the fruits of their labors. They picnic and have fun until the other animals must return to their owners for the blessing. Now Pancho is lonely and left out. As he watches the happy animals, his sadness is rewarded with a special blessing of his own.
This book won a Moonbeams Multicultural Picture Book Award,and was selected as a supplemental reader for the state of New Mexico. It is a fun and educational story to teach culture and geography and celebrate a love for animals.
