New Releases by Joe Hayes

One day little Joe is out in the desert, walking around, and he sees a rattlesnake in trouble. Joe saves the snake's life! That's when things get weird. The rattler follows Joe home. My gosh! It's only a rattlesnake, nothing new for a desert boy like Joe, so he keeps him for a pet. His dad is annoyed, the neighbors are terrified, but soon the friendly snake slithers his way into their hearts. The snake cuddles at the foot of Joe's bed, plays in the yard, he even scares away a burglar and alarms the police. What a charmer! Is there really such a thing as cold-blooded love? After saving a rattlesnake's life in the desert, Joe discovers the snake has followed him home. Although his father is annoyed and the neighbors are terrified, the snake soon proves his worth as a pet and protector.

Sisters Rosa and Blanca are so kind, thoughtful, and generous--and such good gardeners--that their Mamá who lives between the two winds up with a great deal of corn, tomatoes, and red hot chiles.

When Joe Hayes was a boy, he loved to wear his black and white high-top sneakers. He wore them every day. “Get rid of those shoes,” his mother told him one morning. “They smell terrible!” But did Joe listen, did he believe what his mother said? Not until he met the back end of a skunk!

In his classic bilingual style, Joe tells the story of a haunted house in a poor little town in Arizona. Nobody will rent that house because they know a ghost lives there. So the landlord tries to rents it out for free. Still nobody will rent it. That is, until Elena’s father rents it. He doesn’t believe in ghosts. Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the ways of ghosts. Elena, with the help of her grandmother, resolves the mystery of “ghost fever”—and learns a lesson about life. Joe Hayes, who lives in Santa Fe, is an award-winning storyteller renowned especially for his stories in Spanish and English.

Although her mother and sisters make fun of her decision to marry a green bird, to Mirabel he is a prince and so when her family's jealousy endangers him, she sets out to save his life and their love.