Juan Verdades

The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie / El hombre que no sabía mentir
By Joe Hayes, Joseph Daniel Fiedler
Paperback: $11.95

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?

Description

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?

About the Creators

Joe Hayes

Joe Hayes is one of America's premier storytellers. He grew up in a small town in southern Arizona where he started learning Spanish from his classmates. As Hayes got older, he began reading the work of folklorists and anthropologists and gathering the old stories from the Southwest region. His books have received the Arizona Young Readers Award, two Land of Enchantment Children's Book Awards, the Texas Bluebonnet award, and the National Storytelling Network Talking Leaves Award. He lives in New Mexico.

Joseph Daniel Fiedler
Joseph Daniel Fiedler

Joseph Daniel Fiedler was born and raised in the Appalachian hill country of Western Pennsylvania. He attended the Ivy School of Professional Art and Carnegie Mellon University. His work has appeared in numerous national and international publications, including Time and Bloomberg Businessweek, and he is the recipient of a Silver Medal for book illustration from the Society of Illustrators.

Reviews

  • "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."

    - School Library Journal
  • "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."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "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."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "Hayes incorporates a sense of Spanish culture and vocabulary in his charming, romantic folktale, set in the old Southwest. The prose is almost lyrical, and the Spanish words are well defined in context. The artwork, in rich, earthy tones, is equally effective whether showing sweeping desert vistas or close-ups of the characters. An author's note describes the tale's origins and the changes Hayes has made in this version. A good choice for multicultural story times."

    - Booklist

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781933693705
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Jan 04, 2011
  • Trim Size 10 × 9 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Imprint Cinco Puntos Press
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Social Themes / Values & Virtues
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / People & Places / United States / Hispanic & Latino
  • Themes Bilingual, Dual Language, Fiction, Folktale / Folklore / Traditional Literature, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 7 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 2 - 5
  • Guided Reading Q
  • Spanish Guided Reading R
  • ATOS Book Level 4.7
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades 2 - 5
  • Lexile Level 900
  • Lexile Measurement 900L
  • Reading Level Grades 4 - 5
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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