Juan and the Chupacabras / Juan y el chupacabras

$7.95

by Xavier Garza
Illustrated by April Ward
Spanish translation by Carolina Villarroel

ISBN: 978-1-55885-468-0
Publication Date: October 31, 2006   
Format: Paperback
Pages: 32
Imprint: Piñata Books
Ages:
 3-7

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“The beast had dark green skin and glowing red eyes that were the size of two baseballs,” Abuelo tells his wide-eyed grandchildren.  According to Abuelo, a creature called the Chupacabras lurks in the fields looking for fresh victims.

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.

Just like Chupacabras’s thirst for blood and the children’s appetite for Abuelo’s stories, young readers aged 3-7 will devour the pages of this exciting picture book that transmits the storytelling traditions of the Mexican-American community from one generation to the next.

Click here to listen to the read-along by Xavier Garza.