El Oz - Paperback

by David Damian Figueroa (Author)

A Mexican girl from El Pueblito de Los Milagros, and her devoted Chihuahua, Pepito, live on a ranchito with Tia Tonia and Tios Ozvaldo, Wilfredo, Pablo, and Leonardo. Dolores is accustomed to living a simple life filled with folkloric dancing, daily chores of feeding the farm animals, laundry, and cooking meals for the family. Even though Dolores' tia and tios profit from the crops they grow on their ranchito, they still struggle to compete in the changing economy. Their efforts to carve out a traditional living prove futile. With the threat of losing the farm, Tio Ozvaldo makes a difficult decision to travel to the City of Angeles to find work and send money back to the family. Meanwhile, making regular payments for the ranchito to the insufferable landlord, Señora Vicenta becomes increasingly tricky. A sudden rainstorm hits. Dolores and Pepito take cover under a large tree. When they awake, they find themselves in a strange land. A place where flowers with faces sing and her dog, Pepito, can now speak. A hummingbird guides them to the guardian Necaxa, gives Dolores a red heart-shaped necklace for protection, and instructs Dolores to follow her own heart down a talavera tiled path to Ozlandia. Only he can help her to return home. Along the way, Dolores and Pepito meet Necaxa, Los Chiquitos, El Empresario, and befriend Welo, Hierro, and El Leon. They help protect them from the evil and wicked La Chaquetza and Los Malalas.