Dave Eggers - We Became Jaguars

This book was aided by the input of the Young Editors Project, a program that invites young readers to see manuscripts in-progress. The author and illustrator would like to thank these young editors: At 826 Valencia in San Francisco, California: Jesus, Eduardo, Perla, Aaliyah, Kailyn, Emily, Vanessa, Liliana, Elias, and Jennifer. At Story Factory in Sydney, Australia: Mele, Precilla, Eboney, Grace, Delishar, Travis, Kyle, Jaydon, Izayah, Nick, Mynia, Salesi, Chriseph, Karen, Vai-Jay, Zan, Jack Emily, Jessie, Holly, and Talara To Mormor and GP. D. E. W. W. W.

Text copyright 2021 by The Hawkins Project.
Illustrations copyright 2021 by Woodrow White.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Names: Eggers, Dave, author. | White, Woodrow, illustrator.
Title: We became jaguars / written by Dave Eggers ; illustrated by Woodrow White.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2021. | Audience: Ages 3-5. | Summary: When Grandma comes to visit, and his parents leave them alone, the boys grandmother encourages him to imitate a jaguar, until completely transformed they venture out into the night, exploring the world from a new perspective, and with a new freedomuntil it is difficult to distinguish imagination from reality.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019043060 | ISBN 9781452183930 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781452184180 (epub, mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: JaguarJuvenile fiction. | GrandmothersJuvenile fiction. | Grandparent and childJuvenile fiction. | ImaginationJuvenile fiction. | CYAC: JaguarFiction. | GrandmothersFiction. | ImaginationFiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.E296 We 2020 | DDC 813.54 [E]dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019043060 Design by Jennifer Tolo Pierce.
Typeset in Butler.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in gouache, acrylic, and digital. | ImaginationFiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.E296 We 2020 | DDC 813.54 [E]dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019043060 Design by Jennifer Tolo Pierce.
Typeset in Butler.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in gouache, acrylic, and digital.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107 Chronicle Bookswe see things differently. Become part of our community at www.chroniclekids.com. My grandmother came to visit. I had met her once before. She lived far away. My parents went out and left us alone. My grandmother got on the carpet and growled. My grandmother got on the carpet and growled.

Lets be jaguars, she said. I made the shape of a jaguar. No, leaner, she said. I sucked in my tummy. Good, she said. Now faster, she said.

I tried to look faster. Now fiercer, she said. I lifted my hands and made them claws. Good, she said. Now we go. We went across the front lawn and into the woods at the end of the cul-de-sac. We went across the front lawn and into the woods at the end of the cul-de-sac.

I had been in those woods many times, but Id never been through them. As jaguars, we went through. In the woods we leaped into trees and scared away squirrels and birds. Dont worry, my grandmother said to them. We wont eat you. But when we came upon a rabbit, my grandmother caught it and ate it and offered me some. But when we came upon a rabbit, my grandmother caught it and ate it and offered me some.

I didnt want to eat raw rabbit so I said I was allergic. My grandmother rolled her jaguar eyes and we jaguared on. After the woods there was a high hill and we took it like it was nothing. At the top of the hill we saw most of the world. We did not howl because jaguars do not howl. Below the hill there was a lake and we went to it and drank from it. Below the hill there was a lake and we went to it and drank from it.

It looked like silver and tasted like moonlight. Mm-mm! Thats divine, my grandmother said. Mm-mm, thats divine, I said, too, because it was. Lets run across this lake, she said. Wont we fall in? I asked. Not if were nimble, she said.

So she ran nimbly and I ran nimbly and we bounced across like marbles on glass. On the other side of the lake we lay down and we rested. After a few minutes she said, Lets run some more. And we ran up a ridge and over a mountain and across an ocean and kept running.