Joe Hayes: 15 books

Kids of all ages are always asking Joe Hayes, "How can it snow tortillas?" Well, now they’ll know where to find the answer—at long last, Joe’s signature book The Day It Snowed Tortillas is appearing in this new bilingual edition. Bloomsbury Review listed the original English-only edition...

La Llorona (yoh-RROH-nah) / The Weeping Woman is the ghost story to end all ghost stories, capturing the minds of both kids and adults in the U.S. and Mexico. In Spanish and English, master storyteller JOE HAYES retells the tale of a beautiful woman whose fear and jealousy dooms her to an eternal...

What happens when an old dog sitting at the dinner table with his master slides a whole leg of lamb, a big bowl of posole, a stack of tortillas and a bottle of wine to a coyote, who just happens to be under the table? A whole ruckus, that's what! But that's nothing compared with some of the...

"With a style that captures the rhythmic pulse of the Cuban way of life, the vibrant storytelling in this collection of tales by Joe Hayes will delight Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children alike. The accurate translation builds familiarity in reading and expressing ideas in a second...

“An entertaining marriage of pictures and words.”—Kirkus ReviewsIn 1996, master storyteller Joe Hayes and illustrator Rebecca Leer created A Spoon for Every Bite. It became an instant classic. In this lovely New Mexico folktale, a rich man tries to prove his wealth to his poor neighbors...

Mamá says she has the best daughters in the world. The two women live near their mother-Rosa with her husband and children, Blanca by herself. They both have flourishing gardens. Rosa and Blanca are so generous and kind and thoughtful-well, everyone, including Mamá, ends up with too much corn, tomatoes,...

Respected raconteur Joe Hayes is built for tall tales—he’s got the world’s longest legs! And Joe—who travels all over the United States telling stories to kids—says that The Gum-Chewing Rattler is the perfect tall tale for kids because it combines so many familiar experiences—chewing lots...

“Hayes's flowing plot, enlivened by several wry twists, is decidedly satisfying. Fiedler's spare, earth-toned paintings convey the particulars of the setting from traditional garb to the sprawling landscapes as well as the timelessness of folklore.”—Publishers Weekly Don Ignacio is a...

Rattlesnakes and storyteller Joe Hayes must have a thing for each other. Joe’s teamed up again with Antonio Castro to tell us how one day he saved a rattlesnake’s life. Sure enough, that made the rattlesnake so happy he followed Joe home. The snake became Joe’s pet. Just like a dog. Oh, wow, Joe’s tall tales get taller every year!

When Joe Hayes was a boy, he loved to wear his black and white high-top sneakers. He wore them every day. “Get rid of those shoes,” his mother told him one morning. “They smell terrible!” But did Joe listen, did he believe what his mother said? Not until he met the back end of a skunk!

Kids today grow up knowing all about recycling. But when Joe Hayes was a kid, recycling hadn't been invented. Money was so tight for his family that they had to be inventive about reusing everything. And when the family splurged for a fat hambone to flavor their beans, Joe's mother was determined to make it last as long as possible.

In his classic bilingual style, Joe tells the story of a haunted house in a poor little town in Arizona. Nobody will rent that house because they know a ghost lives there. So the landlord tries to rents it out for free. Still nobody will rent it. That is, until Elena’s father rents it. He doesn’t...

A Native American legend tells how Sky God helped Rattlesnake to defend himself. Ages 4-8

A Native American legend tells how Sky God helped Rattlesnake to defend himself from other animals who bully him. In this enhanced edition, enjoy read-along, sound effects, and fun animations that bring this charming folk story to life!