Tough Times - (World of ¡vamos!) by Raúl the Third (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Outrageously creative! Kids will drink in every imaginative detail in El Toro's wild world!" --Jeff Kinney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

From the Eisner Award Nominated World of ¡Vamos! series, Tough Times finds everyone's favorite young luchador fighting a losing streak in an action-packed, graphic-novel-style El Toro & Friends paper-over-board reader by New York Times bestselling, three-time Pura Belpré Award-winning author-illustrator Raúl the Third.

The rookie Kid Toro hasn't won a match in a long time. He loses to every wrestler he fights, from Al "the Crane" Scorpio to Prickly Pear to Burrobot. It feels like he'll never win again!

Luckily, his coach, Ricky Raton, won't let him give up so easily. As he reminds his young fighter what he does best, Kid Toro starts to realize that, when you get knocked down, getting back up makes all the difference.

Tackling Spanish phrases and packed full of humor, these Eisner-nominated early reader graphic novels are essential for readers who want an action-packed story and lots of laughs.

For more fun with El Toro & Friends, check out:

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Review Quotes

"Fantastically fun! Your kids will go loco for El Toro!" -- Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

PRAISE FOR TAG TEAM AND TRAINING DAY: "In typical ¡Vamos! style, a vibrant world bursts to life on every page, filled with movement and a detailed host of cartoon characters... Raúl offers a lesson in visual literacy, utilizing speech bubbles and panels in addition to traditional narration." -- Booklist (starred review)

PRAISE FOR TAG TEAM AND TRAINING DAY: "Simple sentences and recognizable--yet entirely fresh and original--plot structures set up young readers for accomplishment. Visual and linguistic whirls and twirls match the fast-paced tempo of lucha libre, serving up dazzling Chicano English." -- Horn Book (starred review)

PRAISE FOR TAG TEAM AND TRAINING DAY: "Providing bilingual and bilingual-wannabe audiences with easy reader materials that reflect and promote conversational and reading flexibility... with phrases sometimes translated within the text, sometimes understandable through visual context clues, and often delightfully left for readers to puzzle out on their own." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

PRAISE FOR TEAM UP: "[A] vibrant comic book-style world... Clear outlines, lively pastel colors and easy-to-read text--which identifies Spanish sentences in purple font--provide an atmosphere full of action." -- School Library Journal (starred review)