The Stranger and the Red Rooster/El Forastero y El Gallo Rojo — Victor Villasenor

One day in a small California barrio, a scary-looking stranger with an ugly scar on his face arrives. Silence falls on the streets. Normally raucous children stop playing, and their fearful mothers quickly beckon them inside. Everyone peeks out of windows and doors to watch the stranger walk down Main Street. Later in the week, the stranger again appears in town. And a few days later, on a pleasant Sunday morning, the man shows his frightening face yet again. But this time, he's not alone. Cradled in the stranger's arms is a big, red rooster with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck. When the rooster sets off after a bug with the stranger hanging on to the ribbon like a cowboy who had lassoed a wild bull, the townspeople are finally able to look past the long, ugly scar on the stranger's face. Echoing the oral tradition common to so many Latinos, acclaimed author Victor Villasenor shares with young readers one of his father's favorite stories. With vibrant illustrations by Jose Jara, this will soon become the favorite of many children aged 3 to 7.