Vincent Ventura and the Mystery of the Witch Owl / Vincent Ventura y el Misterio de la Bruja Lechuza by
Vincent Ventura wakes up one night to the sound of screeching tires outside his bedroom window. He looks out and sees a man and a girl about his age rush into the rent house at 666 Duende Street. Before closing the front door, the man scans the sky as if he's looking for something. Oddly, they don't turn on any lights and the house remains pitch black, as if no one were home. Suddenly, Vincent notices something white in the tree in front of the house. Is it ¿ a blanket? But when it spreads its wings, he realizes it's an enormous white owl! Two more land in the tree. And when the three owls land on the ground as women dressed in black, he knows there's another monster mystery to solve! That week in art class, Vincent meets his mysterious new neighbor, Zulema Ortiz. She's obsessed with drawing owls. A coincidence? Vincent thinks not. He also notices she has the unusual habit of turning her entire head to look at things, just like owls do. When she tells him they are from a city in Mexico known as the witchcraft capital of the world, Vincent is even more convinced there are witch owls roosting in nearby trees!Once again enlisting the aid of his cousins Michelle and Bobby, monster fighter extraordinaire Vincent Ventura is determined to get to the bottom of the puzzle surrounding his unusual new friend. The second installment in Garza's exciting new Monster Fighter Mystery series, this bilingual book for intermediate readers also contains the author's dramatic black and white illustrations. This spine-tingling short novel introducing Latino creepy creatures to kids ages 8-12 is sure to thrill a new generation of readers!
Zulema and the Witch Owl/Zulema y la Bruja Lechuza by
Zulema Ortiz is the meanest little girl in the whole wide world. She doesn't have any friends, animals run away from her in fear, and her mom doesn't know what to do with her. But maybe, just maybe, her almost ninety-year-old Grandma Sabina does. When Grandma Sabina comes to live with the family, the first thing Zulema says to her is, You sure look old and ugly. Grandma Sabina calmly warns her rude granddaughter about the Witch Owl who prowls the night looking for mean little children, but Zulema just laughs defiantly at such a preposterous story. Nothing scares her because she's the meanest child in the world So when she gets into bed one night and something begins to tap at her window, Zulema isn't afraid at first. She's mad. Nobody plays tricks on me. Only I can play tricks But as the noise at her window continues, the insolent little girl begins to lose her bravado. And when a huge owl with glowing red eyes smashes through the window and swoops into her room, Zulema is ready to agree to its demands--even if it means promising to be nice In this exciting story about the consequences of being mean to others, Zulema learns something about herself and possibly her grandmother too. The imagination of children ages 4-9 will soar with this fun, suspenseful story by acclaimed author and artist Xavier Garza, whose knack for storytelling and creating lively illustrations captures the spirit of naughty Zulema.
In South Texas and Mexico folklore, La Lechuza appears in the form of a massive owl usually described with the face of an old woman. The myth of La Lechuza is that she is a witch who sold her soul to the devil. She always appears outside of the home, looking in windows, on the roof, or in a nearby tree. La Lechuza looks for disobedient or unbaptized children, vagrants, and those who harm others. The legend warns that harming or killing La Lechuza while she is in the form of the owl will turn her back into human form. Other legends believe salt or the Seven Blessed Prayer will convert La Lechuza back into a woman.
Maria I. (Lisa) Huerta is a library assistant at UTRGV University Library Special Collections & Archives. She has over 20 years experience working in a academic library, starting with an internship at UTPA Special Collections and Archives in 1996. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a minor in history (UTPA 1997). Lisa enjoys assisting students and patrons with local history research and genealogy. She is particularly proud of her work with cataloging, processing, and digitizing the LRGV map collection.
