"Accompanied by
cartoonlike illustrations, this adaptation of The Three Billy Goats Gruff is set
in Texas near the Rio Grande. Although Mama is worried about her three
cabritos
—Reynaldo,
Orlando, and AgustÍn—going to a fiesta across the border in Mexico,
they know that their music playing—and the aid of a magic
accordion—will protect them from the fierce
Chupacabra
,
a legendary monster known as the "goat
sucker."
—
Book
Links,
January
2009
"The story follows the
familiar form but with a decidedly Spanish-flavored bent, including Spanish
words (defined in the glossary).... Recommended for larger libraries or those
serving Hispanic
communities."
—
Booklist,
July 1,
2007
"Kimmel builds to this
humorous climax throughout the tale. The light tone is matched by Gilpin’s
glossy, pastel-hued
cartoons."
—
School
Library Journal,
May
2007
"At the center of this
story’s success is Chupacabra, a gigantic furry blue monster perched on
tiny legs with huge eyes, horns on his back, and a splendidly dour expression;
as each brother plays for him, he dances back and forth across the bridge,
flapping and waving his arms about. The clean layout and focused compositions
are well suited to the simple yet humorous text, and the three brothers are
craftily distinguished from one
another."
—
The
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books,
April
2007
"Kimmel sets his
reworking of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" just north of the Rio Grande, sending
caprine musicians Reynaldo, Orlando and Augustín tripping across the border
to a fiesta in Mexico. First, of course, they must first get by the fearsome
Chupacabra, or "goat sucker," guarding the bridge—who demands a tune in
exchange for their
lives."
—
Kirkus
Review,
February 15,
2007
