Popo the Xolo
Paloma Lopez, author
Paloma Angelina Lopez is a mother, student, and creative living in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She is a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico. Her maternal grandmother’s family comes from Jalisco and Guanajuato and her father’s family is from Zacatecas and Sinaloa. Paloma married into a Cherokee family that is heavily involved in language and culture, and she works as a full-time Cherokee language learner. She hopes to become an educator and author in the Cherokee language. This is her debut children’s book. She hopes to publish more children’s literature inspired by her culture and upbringing.
Read more about Paloma.
Abraham Matias, illustrator
Abraham Matias is an illustrator, designer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He spent his childhood in Mexico making his own toys and miniature sets and drawing stories. Abraham works with paper-cut puppets staged and photographed inside a toy theater to create 3D, handcrafted, dreamlike scenes.
Read more about Abraham.
- Coming soon!
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
An abuela crosses from life to death with the help of her loyal pooch.
Popo, a Xoloitzcuintle (a Mexican hairless dog with great significance in many Indigenous cultures), spends his evenings sitting on Nana’s lap as she watches her novelas, soothing her aches with his tiny, warm body. Nana spends her days cooking, cleaning the floors, and tending to her familia. One night, Nana sits on her comfy chair for the last time; accompanied by Popo, she soon steps into the Aztec underworld, Mictlān, where the dead must journey across nine levels to reach eternal rest. Rich in otherworldly blends of purples, pinks, and sun-kissed hues, Matias’ striking paper-cut artwork depicts Nana’s passing in a series of stunning double-page spreads, softening the heavy subject matter. Lopez’s gentle text pulls at the heartstrings in subtle streaks, punctuated by the phrase “Keep going. ¡VÁMONOS!,” accompanying Popo’s barks of encouragement to his beloved owner. Nana wades through a river, climbs hills, glides across an obsidian path, battles snowy winds, evades arrow-throwing monkeys, and more as she recalls memories both good and bad. Her journey ends back at her casita, where her familia holds on to their shared remembrances. Nana now moves on (“Her aches have disappeared”), and Popo remains with her familia. Lopez deftly lands on a bittersweet note, a message of love that transcends life and death.
Gently magnificent. (information on the nine levels of Mictlān and on the Xoloitzcuintle, a note on loss, glossary)
With her debut picture book, Lopez embraces Mexican culture and shares a touching story about celebrating those we love who have passed on. Nana loves her casita, her family, and her xoloitzcuintle dog, Popo. Popo keeps her company, and when he sits on her lap, his body’s warmth helps her aching bones. One day, sitting in her armchair, Nana passes into the mythical land of Mictlān. In Indigenous Mexican culture, the dead travel through the nine levels of Mictlān to reach a place of rest. Accompanied by Popo, Nana starts the long walk, encountering a river, steep climbs, snow, and mischievous monkeys, among other things. Encouraged by Popo to “Keep going. ¡Vámonos!”, Nana notices that her physical ailments are slowly disappearing. Finally reunited with her beloved husband, Nana sends Popo back to her family in the living world. Matias’ captivating illustrations, executed in cut paper and digital media, illuminate the story with rich jewel-toned colors and texture. Details such as Nana’s and Popo’s bony reflections in water offer interesting visual cues, while Spanish words throughout the text add cultural authenticity and warmth. This is a triumphant, moving reflection on death that pays meaningful homage to Indigenous Mexican culture. An author’s note about Mictlān, xoloitzcuintle dogs, and grief and a Spanish glossary conclude. Also available in a Spanish edition, Popo el Xolo.
An accompanied journey ends in rest and remembrance in Lopez’s arresting debut, which, in English and Spanish, blends Indigenous Mexican myth with a story of loss. Popo, Nana’s tiny Xoloitzcuintle, “is the best apapachador, always looking for cuddles,” which the two share during evenings in front of the TV. Sitting in her chair, “Popo keeps Nana warm and helps heal her aches.” Nana is surrounded by the love of family, but after a long day, it’s Popo’s bark that awakens her as she finds herself standing in a river, tired and lost. The two next pass through strange landscapes, Nana reliving memories (“her favorite novelas, the smell of her pan dulce and cafecito”) as Popo urges her along toward a home that is “different somehow.” Matias’s jewel-toned cut-paper and wash-style digital illustrations leap off the page with a vivid light-and-shadow dimensionality suggestive of puppetry, making for a luminous tale of comfort. Back matter discusses the Nine Levels of Mictlān and more.
School Library Journal
Nana loves her family and her beloved dog, Popo. In the evenings, Popo keeps Nana warm as she settles down to watch her favorite telenovelas. This evening, Nana is tired and falls asleep. She wakes and finds herself crossing a river, Popo leading the way. Nana is tired and it is difficult as she and Popo continue their journey, passing through mountains, stone paths, snow, and more, but with each step Nana begins to feel stronger. Popo barks encouragement, tugging at Nana’s skirt. When Nana and Popo arrive home, she no longer feels pain, and Nana feels the love of her family, and the love they have for Popo. This lovely picture book shares a family's love for their beloved nana, and her journey as she passes away, traveling through the levels of Mictlān with her important guide, a xoloitzcuintle dog. Text and illustrations show the obstacles Nana faces, with vibrant, luminous colors bringing to life this otherworldy place, and paper cut-out art making the ¬characters seems so much closer to readers. The text in both the English and Spanish ¬versions shows character dialogue in speech bubbles, with page text describing Nana’s activities, her love for her family, and the levels of Mictlān. A touching depiction of this important belief in the afterlife, as well as a reminder of the good it does to keep loved ones alive through ¬memory. ¬VERDICT This picture book focusing on the passing of a loved one and their journey through Mictlān is an excellent addition to children’s picture book collections, and a solid choice to discuss loss and to share on Day of the Dead.
Children's Literature
In this heartfelt story about death, grief, and legacy grounded in Indigenous Mexican culture, Nana and her beloved dog, Popo, are nearly inseparable. Whether Nana is cooking frijoles, sweeping the floors, or enjoying her evening telenovelas, Popo is by her side. As a xolo (pronounced SHOH-loh) dog, he is Nana's protector and companion, especially essential roles one night when Nana begins an arduous journey, which the reader understands as her transition to the afterlife. With repeated refrains of “Vamonos!” Popo guides Nana through a fierce snowstorm, across slick obsidian paths, and through forests filled with monkeys slinging sharp arrows. Eventually, the pair reaches Nana’s home once more, ending the journey, signifying the cyclical nature of life and death. Though Nana’s family mourns her loss, her memory brings them comfort, and now that Nana no longer needs Popo to warm her lap, her children and grandchildren care for him. Lopez’s evocative text, which incorporates occasional Spanish, is the perfect match for Matias’s illustrations, mixed media scenes featuring yarn and cut paper, which provide a sense of depth and perspective. The contrast of darkness and light mirrors the narrative. When Nana returns home at her journey’s end, her peaceful figure fills the page, enveloping the family in a warm glow. Backmatter includes a pronunciation guide, information about the xolo dog breed and their role in Indigenous Mexican cultures, as well as a guide to the nine levels of Mictlan, which one must pass through to reach the afterlife. Though death is a serious subject, this thoughtful picture book portrays the process as natural rather than fearful, making this a valuable text for bibliotherapy, as a conversation-starter with a child who has recently experienced a loss, or in an elementary classroom unit on how different cultures perceive death and the afterlife. Highly recommended.
English Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-457-7
Spanish Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-458-4
Ages: 6–9
Page count: 40
10 x 8
Publication date: August 19, 2025
