Do You Know the Cucuy? / ¿Cocones al cucuy?

by Claudia Galindo, Jonathan Coombs (Illustrations), John Pluecker (Translation)

The Cucuy is a tall, furry, three-eyed, four-armed monster with a mouth full of huge teeth, Papo tells his granddaughter. And, he warns, if she doesn't behave, the Cucuy will take her away! She used to be afraid of the Cucuy, until one day she meets him and learns that he is not the frightful beast her grandfather described. Instead, he's cute and likes to play. His fur is blue, and his teeth are small. He may not be just like her, but he does have two arms and two eyes. And the Cucuy also likes to play catch, blow bubbles, and eat candy. Best of all, though, the young girl learns that he doesn't kidnap naughty children.! First-time children's book author Claudia Galindo and illustrator Jonathan Coombs vividly bring to life a character known to generations of Latino children. Although this time, the Cucuy isn't a scary monster but instead is a fun playmate.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2008

Reviews

[Marina Minina]

It is a nice bilingual book about a monster Cucuy. A grandpa tells her granddaughter that the Cucuy takes her away when she misbehaves. She is afraid of the monster but oneday he comes to her room and they are made friends. As it turns out Cucuy is a funny playmate.
For bilingual children the book would be appropriate. The best way to learn both English and Spanish!