Becoming Naomi Leon

Los animalitos is Spanish for “little animals.” Naomi’s soap carvings are all groups of small animals. Both the animals themselves and the act of carving them represent comfort and later in the novel, a tie to her cultural heritage, for Naomi. When she needs help falling asleep, she pulls out a group of elephants and places them on the shelf above her bed. Gram and Bernardo turned her on to carving at a young age because Gram hoped it would soothe Naomi’s nerves to keep her hands and mind busy. 

The theme of family and group belonging is highlighted through Naomi’s little animals. Naomi’s carving the animals in groups evokes family groups—they are never alone, always safe together, the same way Naomi and Owen travel with their family group. Even the contest carving for La Noche de los Rábanos consists of little groups of animals from across the animal kingdom. The image evokes communities made up of families, made of little groups of people all together.

Los animalitos also strengthen Naomi’s connection to her father’s side of the family. In Oaxaca, she learns that her father also carves little animals, which he sends to his aunt Teresa. She paints them, and he sells them in shops near the beach. Their collaboration is a family and cultural tradition. Finding out that she and her father have animalitos in common strengthens Naomi’s connection to her father and cultural heritage.

Each chapter is also named after a gathering of animals. The titles hint to the tone and plot development for each chapter. For example, Skyla arrives in a chapter titled “A Skulk of Foxes.” Both the word skulk and the nature of foxes foreshadow Skyla’s sneakiness and hidden agenda. The children reunite with their father in a chapter called “A Pride of Lions,” which references the family’s last name León, which is Spanish for lion. Pride takes on a double meaning in the chapter as Santiago and Naomi both feel pride when he learns that Naomi took part in La Noche de los Rábanos, marking the 101st year a León has participated in the event.