A Mexican jumping bean isn't a bean at all. It's a fascinating home and food source for a special kind of caterpillar! Now in paperback!

A fun and engaging nonfiction picture book for kids ages 3-7 that includes Spanish vocabulary, a counting concept, and life cycle of a yerba de la flecha seedpod.

The Mexican jumping bean has intrigued and fascinated kids for generations.

However, the Mexican jumping bean isn't a bean at all. It's actually a seedpod from a shrub called yerba de la flecha, into which a caterpillar burrows, living inside the pod until it builds a cocoon and breaks out as a moth.

Perfect for preschoolers and pre-readers, this charming and informative read-aloud introduces curious kids to one unique seedpod that is NOT a bean!

Story Locale:Mexico

Series Overview: If it's not that, then what is it? The Not a . . . series explores different animals native to Mexico and follows their life cycles using integrated Spanish vocabulary and concept-based learning.
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
Claudia Guadalupe Martínez learned that letters form words from reading subtitles of old westerns with her father. Her debut novel, The Smell of Old Lady Perfume, received the 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the 2008 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Award, and a 2009 Americas Award Commendation. Pig Park won the 2015 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book and the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Award.

Author Residence: Chicago, IL

Author Hometown: El Paso, TX

Laura González has a degree in graphic design from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico, where she also studied illustration. She is a member of the Mexican Association of Illustrators (AMDI) and has illustrated several books for children. www.laugonzalez.com

Illustrator Residence:Mexico

Illustrator Hometown:San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico