Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie / El Hombre Que No Sabía Mentir (Bilingual English/Spanish Edition)

by Joe Hayes (Author) Joseph Daniel Fiedler (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A prized apple tree, a dangerous bet, and a beautiful young woman--can Juan Verdades still be truthful by the end of the two-week bet?

Un manzano preciado, una apuesta peligrosa y una hermosa joven: ¿puede Juan Verdades seguir siendo sincero al final de la apuesta de dos semanas?

Juan Verdades is an honest man. His employer, don Ignacio, owns a fine apple tree that produces delicious fruit, and he trusts only Juan to care for the tree. Don Ignacio is so sure of Juan's honesty that he enters into a dangerous bet with another rancher, don Arturo. Each man wagers his entire ranch.

Don Ignacio is confident in Juan's inability to lie. But don Arturo is determined to prove he can make Juan tell a lie. Juan has no idea how greatly he is being tested. Nor does Juan realize that don Arturo's beautiful young daughter is doing all she can to make him fail. Will Juan's truthful nature triumph, or will don Ignacio lose everything, including his beloved apple tree?

Juan Verdades es un hombre honesto. Su patrón, don Ignacio, es dueño de un manzano real que produce frutos deliciosos, y solo confía en Juan para cuidar el árbol. Don Ignacio está tan seguro de la honestidad de Juan que hace una peligrosa apuesta con otro ganadero, don Arturo. Cada hombre apuesta todo su rancho. Don Ignacio confía en la incapacidad de Juan para mentir.

Pero don Arturo está decidido a demostrar que puede hacer que Juan mienta. Juan no tiene idea de lo mucho que lo están probando. Juan tampoco se da cuenta de que la hermosa joven hija de don Arturo está haciendo todo lo posible para que fracase. ¿Triunfará la naturaleza veraz de Juan, o perderá todo don Ignacio, incluido su amado manzano?

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Publisher's Weekly

Flowing plot, enlivened by several wry twists, is decidedly satisfying. Spanish words and phrases dot the characters' dialogue, enhancing the regional flavor... Spare, earth-toned paintings convey the particulars of the setting from traditional garb to the sprawling landscapes as well as the timelessness of folklore.

School Library Journal

Hayes's retelling of this tale is masterful... As a read-aloud, this story would be likely to evoke some lively discussion about honesty, and right and wrong.

Kirkus

Hayes's sprinkling of Spanish phrases provide an authentic historical northern New Mexico setting that gives the story a strong sense of time and place, making this an interesting and unusual addition to folklore collections.

ALA/Booklist

A good choice for multicultural story times.

Review quotes


Joe Hayes

Joe Hayes is one of America's premier storytellers. He grew up in a small town in southern Arizona and developed a lifelong interest in the cultures and creatures of the region. As Hayes got older, he began reading the work of folklorists and anthropologists and gathering the old stories from the Southwest region. His books for young readers have received numerous awards. He lives in New Mexico.

Mauricio Trenard Sayago was born in Cuba and raised to believe in the power of art to educate and transform the individual and society. His goal is to use his work to simplify or change how people see their current realities so they can make the world a better place. He came to the United States in 2000 and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he uses painting to create images and explore himself in a different cultural context.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781933693705
Lexile Measure
900
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Cinco Puntos Press
Publication date
January 20, 2011
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
JUV022000 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, & Fables | General
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
Library of Congress categories
Spanish language materials
Bilingual
Folklore
Southwest, New

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