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Writer's pictureErin Motola

El Chupacabras

Book Cover

El chupacabras by Adam Rubin and Crash McCreery is a new book by the beloved author Adam Rubin. My family has thoroughly enjoyed Rubin’s Dragons love tacos books as well as his Robo-Sauce book. When I saw that he had a new book that was nominated for the Bluebonnet Award, I knew I wanted to check it out. I’m so glad I did. This book is full of the humor and personality that we have grown to love from Adam Rubin’s writing.

Evaluation of the Writing

The first thing to note when reading El chupacabras is the style and language used in the book. The text is written in English and Spanish, but unlike traditional bilingual books, the sentences are a mixture of the two languages. A sentence begins with one language and changes to the other mid-sentence. Directly below the sentence is the opposite language equivalent. “Cada mañana, Carla woke with the sun y les preparaba el desayuno a las cabras. Every morning, Carla se despertaba con el sol and made breakfast for the goats” (Rubin & McCreery, 2018, p. 6). This unique approach to writing teaches the reader phrases in Spanish or English depending on their native language. The story is full of rich vocabulary. Descriptive language is used throughout that allow the reader to participate more fully in the story.


The next aspect to highlight is the tension that is created in the narrative. The chupacabras is described as a “terrifying beast” (Rubin & McCreery, 2018, p. 15) that is feared in the town. After a miscommunication about the correct amount of magic dust to use on the goats to protect them from the chupacabras, Carla must ask the monster for help. The goats from the farm have become giants and could destroy the town. Will the goat sucker help? The tension that builds helps to drive the narrative of the story. It also shows how the goat sucker could move from villain to hero in the eyes of the townspeople. As readers we want to find out what will become of Carla and Hector’s goats and their town. We also want to know, will the goat sucker remain a monster in the eyes of the town, or will he change their minds with his actions?


Finally, the illustrations provide an element of humor to the story. They also allow us to imagine the town and their plight more clearly. When we see the “goat pancake” (Rubin & McCreery, 2018, p. 12) for the first time it adds to the humor of the story. We can imagine what a goat pancake would look like but seeing one in an illustration makes us laugh. We also see how scared the goats are of the goat sucker through the illustration that shows them standing on top of the tree branches. When we meet the goat sucker, our perception of what he would look like changes. Previous illustrations depicted him as a giant, fear-inducing monster. However, he is “a tiny gentleman. He wore a bow tie and drank chocolate with churros” (Rubin & McCreery, 2018, p. 16). The illustration of the goat sucker eating his churros with his legs crossed changes our mind as the reader. He is not terrifying at all! He’s just a little creature who can’t help but suck a goat occasionally. The illustrations throughout the book are hilarious and show us what it would be like if we were there with Hector and Clara.


Personal Response

When I taught in a bilingual classroom, I often heard traditional legends from the Latin culture. The chupacabras was among the monsters I heard my students talk about. They would talk about feeling nervous about their family’s goats on the ranches in Mexico. This book reminded me of my former students. It made me wish we could read this book together and talk about how this changed their perspective on the chupacabras.


This book completely changed my perception of the chupacabras. He is feared by the town at the beginning of the book, but he helps them in their plight. He is not a giant terrifying beast, but a tiny gentleman who occasionally indulges in a guilty pleasure. His goat sucking tendencies that were once feared are now the same ones that will save the town from the enormous goats. This story provided a hilarious counterpoint to the traditional legend of the chupacabras.


The writing and illustrations in El chupacabras are funny and provide a new perspective on a familiar legend in the Latin culture. The writing of the text in English and Spanish pays homage to the culture from where the story originated. As someone who is fluent in Spanish, I could read the sentences that were a mixture of Spanish and English without a problem. However, someone who does not read Spanish fluently would need to jump around on the page to get the full meaning of the story. It could be distracting and take away from the overall telling of the story.


Conclusion

El chupacabras is a hilarious retelling of an old legend. Readers will laugh at the silly illustrations and may change their perception of what the chupacabras actually is. Even if you have never heard of the goat sucker before reading this book, it is a humorous story that is sure to delight young readers. I would certainly recommend this book, but the formatting may require previewing before using it as a read aloud for those who are less familiar with Spanish. El chupacabras is a great story that is sure to make you laugh.


APA Citation

Rubin, A. & McCreery, C. (2018). El chupacabras. New York: The Dial Press.

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