El Chupacabras

By: Adam Rubin

Narrated by: Adam Rubin

Length: 8 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of Dragons Love Tacos comes a whimsical retelling of the chupacabra folktale, written in a blend of English and Spanish.

A long time ago, a girl named Carla lived on a goat farm with her father, Hector. One night, a goat disappeared from the farm and turned up flat as a pancake. Only one creature could do that - El Chupacabras, the goatsucker! Legend has it that El Chupacabras is a fearsome beast, but you can't believe everything you hear...and sometimes the truth is even more interesting.

Told in equal parts English and Spanish by best-selling author Adam Rubin, this lighthearted take on a modern legend is not told in the traditional bilingual style. 

Each sentence is half-Spanish, half-English followed by a repetition of the same line translated the other way around. This mirroring technique allows the languages to intermingle equally. A fun and unique way to introduce either Spanish or English to new listeners. 

A note from author Adam Rubin: "I decided to tell this story in an unusual way to explore the beauty of harmony. It's easy to dismiss the unfamiliar, but compassion takes a little more effort. With so many people trumpeting divisiveness right now, it's more important than ever to teach kids that there is more than one way to understand the world."

©2018 Adam Rubin (P)2021 Listening Library

Critic reviews

The 2019-2020 Texas Bluebonnet Winner

A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids

"McCreery's vibrantly detailed illustrations, from sneezing goats to a bicycle-riding el chupacabras, inject wonderfully outrageous physical humor into Rubin's rip-roaring retelling." (Publishers Weekly) 

"An intriguing title that firmly establishes a modern Latin American legend into the cryptid canon. Highly recommended." (School Library Journal)