La curandera (traditional healer) needs a rue plant to make a remedy so that she can cure Prietita's sick mother and Prietita wants to do everything she can to help, even if it means trespassing on the land owned by King Ranch where rue is said to grow freely. When she sneaks under the barbed wire fence, not only does she risk being shot at by guards, she also risks running into la Llorona , the legendary ghost woman who is said to steal children. This short bilingual story features a courageous Latina girl as its heroine. She uses her wits and knowledge of her Mexican cultural heritage to find what she needs to help her mami . (Ages 7-10)

Bilingual English/Spanish. Gloria Anzaldúa uniquely reinterprets the famous Mexican legend of la Llorona.

Ever since she can remember, Prietita has heard frightening stories about la Llorona-the legendary ghost woman who steals children at night. One day, when Prietita goes in search of the missing herb that can help cure her mother's illness, she becomes lost in the woods. Suddenly she hears a distant crying sound and sees flashes of white in the trees. Could it be the ghost woman from her grandmother's stories?

In her second book for children, Gloria Anzaldúa reinterprets the famous Mexican legend of la Llorona, the ghost woman. Surrounded by the live oak and prickly pear of the Texas woods, Prietita discovers that la Llorona is not what people expect. In this magical story, Prietita's search for the healing rue plant turns into a powerful journey of self-discovery.