This is a very inspiring story,adapted from the unique El Salvadoran indigenous culture about how hope and believe can bring miracles and changes to the condition especially when join in together by many.

Told against a very beautiful and lush Central American jungle is the story of a very courageous girl named Itzel who lives with her nana (grandmother) at the edge of the jungle. Usually,their jungle would be blessed with the rain. However, unfortunately for that year, it has not rain at all,making lives very difficult for Itzel and her nana to survive. In consequent, this has led Itzel to go into the jungle to search for the mythical giant snake, which she heard so many times from her nana's stories believed to have the ability to bring in the rain. According to her nana, the giant snake is gone as their people no longer believe in their cultural stories anymore. But that didn't stop Itzel with her quest to search for the creature. When in the jungle, Itzel met with several animals (native to their country) such as the Ocelot, the Opossum, the Agouti, the Kinkajou and other animals who initially were sceptical of the giant snake's existence but eventually decided to give it a try as they are all just as desperately in need of the rain for their own survivals. Would they all succeed in finding the giant snake and bringing back the rain again?

This story is a good introduction to the El Salvadoran culture with its retelling of its indigenous folklore,the mythical creature from which the giant snake's character is adapted from (known as the Cuyancuat, a creature with a pig's head and a snake's body believed to be the bringer of rain) and the Tonalli/Tonal (the guiding animal spirits believed to be as one with humans) and the native language (Nawat) used in the story,which the author generously supplemented with a glossary at the back of the book for their meanings.

Overall,this is a very inspiring and very interesting story with strong messages of believing and reliving the cultural traditions and the highlights of man being a part of and in one with nature, and of their need and interdependence on nature and change can happen only if we strongly believe,have faith and work together.

Thank you Kids Can Press and NetGalley for this wonderful reading and learning experience!

During a drought, Itzel’s grandmother tells her a story of a giant snake the brings the rains. Itzel decides to go off in search of the snake so they will have water for the seeds they have planted. The bold, simple illustrations are beautiful and may inspire young artists to create their own pictures.

This story is set in El Salvador and is a retelling of a traditional story about a drought. A little girl ventures into the forest and comes across many animals, and eventually brings water back to her home. The story is a great opportunity to learn about other cultures as well as the animals and landforms/wildlife in South America. The artwork is really neat and the story is interesting. I could see this book being used by early years teachers and found in classrooms all over the world. I would recommend it for children approximately ages 4-9.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this great book!

WOW. I was blown away by this, and it is hands down one of my new favorite children’s books ever.

I am always eager to find and promote diverse stories, and this one is such a gem. It’s about a Salvadoran girl named Itzel. Itzel and her grandmother planted many seeds, but rain was not coming. Itzel bravely left in the middle of the night to go find the giant snake who legend says can bring rain, and along the way she found many creatures to accompany her.

The story is so lush, and it reads like oral storytelling (so I imagine reading it loud will be so lovely). I would also frame almost every page as artwork in my house if I could! The illustrator uses rich jewel tones and they are so beautiful.

The end of the book has a glossary which is so helpful.

“Many, many years ago, although it might have been yesterday, the world was set right again by a little girl who had the courage to believe in the tales of the old.”

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for a free digital copy.

A lovely retelling of a classic folk tale. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging to keep the reader's attention on the fascinating story.

This is a children’s book based on Central American tales. It reminded me a lot of the wizard of oz in the sense of everyone joining together to find a common person for different reasons but in the end the never needed to find the snake. They just need to believe in him. The artwork is beautiful!

A fabulous story inspired by the story of the giant snake, cuyancuat. It is really interesting and totally adventurous!

It is the time of droughts and our little character is worried about the next rain. She lives with her grandmother and they are quite helpless without the much needed water. She goes on an adventure to search for an answer. She takes the help of several animals and protective spirits and gets to find a way ultimately. And yes, we get to learn a lot of new words at the end of the book.

The artwork is phenomenal.

Thank you, Kids Can Press, for the advance reading copy.

This is a lovely, gorgeously illustrated picture book that tells the story of a young girl, her grandmother, and a host of animals that join her on a quest to bring water back to her land. It's based on a Salvadoran story, and it's got a short but solid glossary in the back for the Latin American animals and Spanish terms mentioned in the text. While the story is solid, the art is the real standout here. I can't wait to share this with all the little ones in my life.

Itzel and the Ocelot
by Rachel Katstaller
The art work and story is an way of sharing cultural stories with the next generation. I like how the story shows that with understanding of need can be shared. the work together to find the solution to their problem. Its an interesting myth or South American cultures, showing a love of the shared history, and the artifacts and animals of the area.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. It is a retelling of a Salvadoran Folktale. Itzel goes on the hunt for the water snake to try to get rain for her family. The graphics are nice and the story is interesting. It reminds us of the connections between water and all life. 4 stars

A delightful tale of a traditional Salvadorian legend. Itzel and her nana desperately need rain for their crops to go. When Itzel hears of a giant snake that brings water, she is determined to go find it in the forest. She meets an ocelot who joins her on her quest. Very cute and a really interesting story!

A young girl goes on a quest to find The Great Snake and bring rain to her home. Along the way, a group of animals also in search of rain join her on her quest. I appreciated that this was based off a Salvadoran folktale, but the retelling seemed a little too simplified.

A really beautiful story about the importance of water, of the interdependence between animals and people, and of storytelling. This clearly draws on Central American storytelling and identifies animals, foods, etc. traditional to the area. Lovely book!