Young Juan and his cousin Luz savor Abuelo’s hair-raising stories. He tells the children of defeating terrifying fiends like the Chupacabras and La Llorona. The children cling to every word as he describes his brave stand-off with the Chupacabras, a terrifying beast with wings, claws and sharp fangs. But yet they wonder if there’s more to his strange story than meets the eye. Plucky Luz hatches a plan to either disprove Abuelo’s tale or hunt down the menacing monster and put an end to it once and for all. Armed with a bag of marbles dipped in holy water and a sling shot, the children venture into a cornfield one moonless night in search of the truth.
Americas
Materials from the Americas
Lucha Libre: A Bilingual Cuento: the Man in the Silver Mask
Carlitos attends his first lucha libre match in Mexico City. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador — the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil — los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss! In the end, though, the Man in the Silver Mask triumphs and, in the process, gains a lifelong fan.
Awards:
2005 América’s Award Honor Book
Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid
Santa’s newest helper is his cousin Pancho, a farmer in South Texas. Back in the day, Pancho was a mariachi singer with a whole lot of style and a fancy sombrero, but as the years passed, Pancho got a little older and a little wider. Then one night his primo Santa Claus showed up looking for help along the US/Mexico border. All Christmas Eve, Pancho delivers toys to the boys and girls on the border.
The Snow Show
Tune into The Snow Show to see Chef Kelvin and his trusty sous-chefs, Snow White and Jack Frost, investigate evaporation, condensation, and precipitation—all while cooking up the lightest, fluffiest batch of snow ever to fall from the sky. The critics agree: This is one snowy science-filled cooking extravaganza that’ll make kids wish every day were a snow day! Includes an author’s note with additional information about snow, suggested reading, and a link to the author’s website, which features an exciting animation of snow-crystal formation and a free activity kit.
Rosie and Buttercup
Tired of her baby sister always getting in her way, Rosie gives Buttercup to her babysitter, Oscar, but when she finally has the house to herself, Rosie realizes how much fun her sister really is.
The Little Word Catcher
Elise wonders why her grandmother’s words keep escaping her — do they fly off to play tricks on her? Elise’s grandmother used to know many marvelous words, but now she seems to be losing them all the time. Can Elise help her by catching them, like butterflies in a net? This award-winning picture book offers a gentle exploration of the effects of Alzheimer’s on the relationships in a family, and the special bond it creates between a grandmother and her granddaughter. Eventually, Elise comes to believe that her grandmother has used up all her words and has passed them on to her, as a gift. Winner of the 2007 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature Illustration (French language).
Buttercup’s Lovely Day
In poetry that lyrically winds like a creek through a farmer’s field, we journey through one lovely day in Buttercup’s life. Whether she is ruminating on the mud beneath her feet or the moon and the stares in the blue-black sky, she draws us deep into her rich and wonderful world.
Oloyou (Libro Tigrillo)
Oloyou the Cat, the very first creature that the God-child creates, is also the very first friend. God-child and Oloyou play together for hours on end, until one day the cat falls into the void and lands in the dark, featureless, sea kingdom of ferocious Okún Aró. Oloyou is terribly lonely until he meets Aró’s mermaid daughter and falls madly in love. Infuriated, the father flings the pair into the heavens, where they become an everlasting part of the night sky. This imaginative tale, sparked by the author’s mesmerizing text, is the perfect introduction to the vibrant Santería/Yoruba culture.
Sir Reginald’s Logbook
Find out what perils and pitfalls await the stouthearted explorer in this record of one man’s journey from his living room into the fantastic jungle of his imagination.
Jack Pine
Even though it is a short, gnarled tree, the Jack Pine still stands tall in the forest world. It thrives in bad soil and is hardy enough to withstand wind and fire. Moreover, its scrubby branches shelter other trees, allowing them to grow. Jack Pine celebrates this tenacious tree through beautifully crafted text that’s as hard and knotty as the tree itself. In telling Jack Pine’s story, the book shows how the great pine forests contributed to America’s growth as a nation. Cybele Young’s exquisite 3-D collages depict the trees, farmers, and animals that lived in the 19th-century forest.