Isabel and the Hungry Coyote/Isabel y el coyote hambriento Book

A little girl on her way to Grandma's house. A basket of goodies. A lurking scoundrel. Sound familiar? Yes, but this time, the Chihuahua Desert of the American southwest is the setting for a spiced-up retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story. Spunky Isabel outwits the cunning coyote with self-reliance and daring. Fiery tamales and chili sauce are the villain's downfall.

Esther Szegedy uses the natural world of her Hawaiian paradise locale for inspiration. She likes to draw as she sits near the Pacific Ocean. Slabs of natural rock formed by volcanic lava flows often serve as her seat while she sketches. In Isabel and the Hungry Coyote / Isabel y el coyote hambriento Esther's rough pencil sketches turned into picturesque pastels that reveal the grainy texture of the desert sand to great advantage. Her deft use of water-soluble pastel crayons (Caran d'Ache®) on recycled paper brings the vivid purple, lush fuchsia and tranquil turquoise of the desert landscape into stunning focus and often into the comic arena. Esther's in-depth research of the Southwestern USA's flora and fauna brings forth both spirited illustrations and witty characterizations that make Isabel and the Hungry Coyote / Isabel y el coyote hambriento a special art treat as well as a 'read-it-again' story.

This book is embedded text format. The story is told in English and Spanish is sprinkled throughout the book within the context of the story.
A bilingual vocabulary page in English and Spanish is included to help readers learn keywords in either language.