In his classic bilingual style, Joe tells the story of a haunted house in a poor little town in Arizona. Even when the landlord offers free rent, nobody moves in because they know a ghost lives there. That is, until Elena's father rents it.

He doesn't believe in ghosts. Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the ways of ghosts. She helps her solve the mystery of the "ghost on the roof" while Elena learns a very important lesson about life.

"La Llorona" (yoh-RROH-nah), now available for the first time in a full-color paperback, is the ghost story to end all ghost stories and truly the most popular cuento of Hispanic America. This story of the weeping woman appears at first to be only a frightening tale filled with mysterious events which cause children to sit wide-eyed. Yet it's the simple, universal wisdom at the core of the story that finally works its magic into their hearts.

Joe Hayes is best known for his bilingual tellings of stories from the American Southwest. "La Llorona" is one of his favorite stories.