The popularity of lucha libre, Mexico’s version of professional wrestling, is exploding in the United States, thanks to the television show Mucha Lucha. In Xavier Garza’s bilingual kids’ book about this wild and crazy sport, young Carlitos attends a lucha libre match in Mexico City for the first time. He’s with his Papá Lupe, but his Tio Rodolfo, who’s supposed to join them, doesn’t show up. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador, el Santo—the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. El Santo even smiles at Carlitos! Carlitos is mesmerized as el Santo is pitted against the terrible forces of evil—los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss! In the end, though, el Santo triumphs and, in the process, gains a lifelong fan.
Kids of all ages are drawn to the allure of lucha libre and its masked men and women. In Lucha Libre, young fans will see this fascinating world come alive: Favorite heroes and much-feared villains, dressed in dazzling and outrageous costumes, strut and prance across the mat and bounce against the ropes, daring anyone to take them to the floor!
¿Sabes que es la lucha libre? ¿Alguna vez has ido a un combate de lucha libre y visto los técnicos y los rudos—los buenos y los malos—vestidos con sus disfraces llamativos y sus máscaras locas? ¿Cómo te sentirías si el luchador más famoso de todos los tiempos se detuviera y te sonriera? Descubre qué le sucede a Carlitos cuando El Hombre de la Máscara de Plata, un hombre que nunca antes había visto en toda su vida, se da vuelta y le hace eso.
Niños, de todas edades, se sienten atraídos por el atractivo de la lucha libre y sus hombres y mujeres enmascarados En Lucha Libre, los jóvenes fanáticos verán este mundo fascinante ven a la vida: héroes favoritos y villanos muy temidos, vestidos con trajes deslumbrantes e indignantes, pavoneándose y brincando sobre el tapete y rebotando contra las cuerdas, ¡desafiando a cualquiera a llevarlos al piso!
Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, lucha libre aficionado Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist and storyteller whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and Washington. Garza and his wife live in San Antonio, Texas. He published his first book, Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys (Arte Público Press), in 2004.
An action-packed bilingual picture book about traditional Mexican wrestling—lucha libre.
Un divertido cuento bilingüe sobre la gran tradición Mexicana, la lucha libre.
Carlitos’ trip to visit his uncle in Mexico City gets even more exciting when he gets to go to his first lucha libre match with his dad. For some mysterious reason, Carlitos’ uncle doesn’t join them at the match. But the event is fun from the beginning, and Carlitos even gets to pick a luchador mask before they sit right on the ringside. Up close to all the drama of the wrestling, Carlitos sees the Man in the Silver Mask, one of the most famous wrestling heroes. Even though he’s never seen him before, the luchador’s eyes look terribly familiar. The masked wrestler even smiles at Carlitos! He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil—los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. The audience is full of energy and they boo and hiss the villains! In the end, though, the Man in the Silver Mask triumphs and gains a lifelong fan.
With dynamic, colorful artwork and a fun story, this is a perfect book for reluctant readers. Side-by-side English and Spanish text also makes it a great fit for elementary school ELL students, or Spanish learners.
Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, lucha libre aficionado Xavier Garza is a prolific and enthusiastic author, artist, storyteller and whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City and is a lively documentation of the dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of South Texas. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and the state of Washington. He has authored and illustrated fourteen books, including Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid, and Just One Itsy Bity Little Bite (Arte Público Press). His work has received such prestigious awards as the Americas Honor Book Award in 2005, the Tejas Star Book Award three times from 2007-2010 and the Pura Belpré Honor Book award in 2012. In 2019 Garza was inducted into the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters. He lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife Irma and their teen son Vincent.
Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, and storyteller whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and the state of Washington. Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, and storyteller whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and the state of Washington. His book Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel was a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book in 2012.
