Lucky Luis - Tapa dura

At Little League, Luis is catching fly balls, stealing bases, and hitting like a champ. But there is a problem: he thinks he's getting good luck from the snacks he samples at the supermarket before every game. Then one day his mom goes directly to the field and he has a horrible practice. The day she skips the stop at the store before a game, he strikes out twice.

Luckily, Luis's father understands and convinces him that practice and concentration matter much more than any superstition.

Gary Soto (www.garysoto.com) is the recipient of the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature, the American Book Award, and the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Rhode Montijo (www.rhodemontijo.com) lives in New York City.