The Unlikely Aventuras of Ramon and El Cucuy: An Illustrated Chapter Book

Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5

A young monster befriends the human child he’s been assigned to scare in this spooky-funny chapter book debut from Newbery Medal–winning author Donna Barba Higuera, with illustrations throughout by Juliana Perdomo

It’s a monster’s ancient duty to inflict unimaginable horrors on misbehaving kids.

But when a young cucuy who’s anxious to prove himself is sent to the human world to terrorize his first child, the naughty niño isn’t scared by glowing eyes, sharp talons, or even disgusting breath. Instead, he’s preoccupied with worries about his first day at a new school. Can the little cucuy prove himself as a fierce boogeyman? As he soon learns from his human, maybe some things are scarier than creatures under the bed . . . and maybe even a monster could use a friend.

Featuring two-color illustrations throughout, this first chapter book from Newbery Medal–winning author Donna Barba Higuera and acclaimed artist Juliana Perdomo delightfully blends sly humor, light spookiness, and lots of heart, and is perfect for fans of Jon Klassen’s The Skull.

More Aventuras with Ramón and El Cucuy (Picture Books):

El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!

It’s Navidad, El Cucuy!

About the Author

Donna Barba Higuera grew up dodging dust devils in the oil fields of central California. She was a daydreamer, constantly blending life experiences and folklore into stories. Higuera currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, two dogs, 11 chickens, and one frog. She is the author of the picture books El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! and It’s Navidad, El Cucuy!, both illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, and she is also the author of the middle-grade novels The Last Cuentista, winner of the Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Award, Alebrijes, winner of the Pura Belpré Honor, and Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, winner of a Pura Belpré Honor, the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. Juliana Perdomo is a Colombian illustrator and writer with a background as a psychologist and art therapist. Her work is joyful and heartfelt, folkish, and a bit retro with a Latin touch. Perdomo lives in Bogotá, Colombia, with her amazing son, Luca, her rocker partner, Iván, and a funny old dog named Menta.