My Pet Rattlesnake

Joe Hayes is back with another unbelievable, astounding, and totally true tall tale, straight from his own childhood in the Arizona desert.

One day little Joe sees a rattlesnake in trouble and saves the snake’s life. Things start to get weird when the rattler follows Joe home. It’s only a rattlesnake, nothing new for a desert boy like Joe, so he keeps him as a pet. His dad is annoyed and the neighbors are terrified, but soon the friendly snake slithers his way into their hearts. The snake cuddles at the foot of Joe’s bed, plays in the yard, and even scares away a burglar and alarms the police--what a charmer!

Is there really such a thing as cold-blooded love?

Joe Hayes is the author of over twenty books for children and young adults. His writing style is storytelling-tested and has its roots in the oral traditions of the American Southwest. Each summer, he delights children and adults alike with his summertime storytelling performances at Santa Fe’s Wheelwright Museum. The rest of the year finds him speaking to thousands of readers around the United States at schools, libraries, and conferences. His book Ghost Fever/Mal de Fantasma won the Texas Bluebonnet Award in 2007. Dance, Nana, Dance / Baila, Nana, Baila, his collection of folktales from Cuba, won the Aesop Prize in 2009. The New Mexico Library Association named Joe the Centennial Storyteller in 2010, a storyteller so good he only comes around once every 100 years!
Antonio Castro Lopez (L.) was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and has lived in the Juarez-El Paso area for most of his life. He has illustrated dozens of childrens’ books including Barry, the Bravest Saint Bernard (Random House), Pajaro Verde, The Treasure on Gold Street, The Day It Snowed Tortillas and The Gum-Chewing Rattler (Cinco Puntos Press). In 2005, the government of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, commissioned Antonio to paint a mural for the government palace. The mural commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Tomochic. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Texas, Mexico City, Spain and Italy.