Joaquin is having a rough day, discovers his Alebrije with the help of his friend Imogen & learns when he’s feeling all alone, left out or having a hard day, it’s nice to know that your Alebrije can help you find your way. A fun, colorful & imaginative book your lil will love.

Thank you for granting my "Wish" to read this title. The cover and description looked so cute and fun and it did not disappoint for my family. This was giving Encanto/CoCo vibes.

My littles (2 & 5) loved this. The story follows a little boy who does feel like he has any friends and is just ignored when he sees a magical slide that takes his to another place to find his spirit animal. Within the content, the littles learned a few Spanish words for body parts.

The illustrations were stunning. So colorful and bright, they caught the attention of my littles and they stayed focused throughout the story.

Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing, Nadine Fonseca, and NetGalley for allowing my family to review.

Gorgeous illustrations and a strong message make this an intriguing picture book. However, there is a disconnect between the writing and the rest. It feels like it was written for children without consulting children. By being driven by the lesson, the charm of the lesson is lost.

I would still be willing to add it to my library, but it is not the top of my wishlist.

All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the eARC.

I read “If You Ever Need a Friend” with my three year old daughter and she loved it! She was immediately reminded of Disney’s Coco and she was able to understand the emotion Joaquin was experiencing because she’s also felt like sometimes she’s not being heard.

The illustrations of the alibrjes were beautiful and the story was easy for a young reader to understand and relate to. We’ll absolutely be adding this to our library!

Thank you NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Nadine M. Fonseca for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!