Raul the Third (born Raul Gonzalez) came to the Roslindale Substation last week, by way of the Rozziebound Book Store, and shared his stories and methods with residents and youngsters.

The attendees of the event appeared very familiar with the books. Some brought their own copies of his biggest series “Vamos!” Since the author grew up in both El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico his books include both English and Spanish but are catered to an English-speaking reader.

Raul is a graphic novel/comic book illustrator, artist and children’s book author who lives in Medford with his wife, Elaine Bay, and son. His wife happens to be the colorist for his books, and he joked that he keeps the business in the family. His list of awards and accolades is extensive, as shown on his Wikipedia page.

For those not familiar with the Substation in Roslindale, it is a huge space that used to be a mechanic shop for trolleys when such public transit roamed the city’s streets. The high ceilings are made for just staring at the artsy lighting, but it has a cozy atmosphere that can also make it feel like one’s living room.

Raul the Third commanded families’ attention from the start, sitting in a huge cushy chair and signing books before switching gears to his presentation where he asked the children why was he called Raul the Third.

He listened for answers from the kids before saying his grandfather was Raul the first, his father was Raul the second and his son was named – “John.” Then he smiled and said his son was Raul the Fourth. He then asked the kids if they wanted to know what it takes to write a book while also drawing along.

Parents appeared equally engaged as they sipped their adult beverages. He promised he would show the kids how to draw a character which they would recognize from his books and if they did not they could go home and check through all their books for this character.

With an easel by his side, he tore off a page, folded it and pretended to be his father, face hidden behind the paper as he spoke in Spanish. Raul told the children that he would look at the back of the paper for his favorite part. One child said, “the funnies.” He was impressed to hear that term and said he relished reading ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Garfield’ but refused to read ‘Mary Worth’, as he found it boring.

He then drew a rectangle and said one could draw shapes inside of shapes. He asked what a semi-circle on the side of a rectangle was and someone shouted, “an ear.” He added more shapes and suddenly Fred Flintstone appeared. As a child obsessed with comics he wanted to create his own comic universe, and what he loved was the idea that there were real people responsible for creating what he found fascinating.

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“All of us have origin stories. I loved playing with toys to create stories. You can pretend to be a good guy or a villain,” he said. He then showed a picture of The Joker on his slide show presentation as well as images from his books which included names of people he admired, like Selena, and family members as well as the English and Spanish versions of a dog barking.

He then showed the audience his three notebooks which he always carries around. One was for random ideas, the other for sketching and the largest was for final artwork which he then passes off to his wife to color. He described her as the perfect teammate and is always surprised by her choices. He asked the crowd for any good food choices as he wanted to bring her home something delicious.

Several of the attendees referenced “Vamos! Let’s Go Eat” as one of their favorites of his books series. Brian Gold of Roslindale and his daughter, Mira, 4, said they liked everything about the book from the images of food, to the Spanish terminology and the colors of the characters.

“We love his books,” said Simca Horowitz. With her were Lila, 7, and Leo, 4, who each had opinions on their favorite books. Horowitz said the Spanish/English mix was appealing and since she runs Mass Farm to School which brings local foods to school, she especially enjoyed “Vamos! Let’s Go Eat” as it celebrates food, culture and the power of food on communities.

Lynn Drew and her son Iggy sat at one of the many picnic-style tables and enjoyed some sparkling beverages before the talk. Iggy has gone through many of the stages of the books which are geared for kids as young as three to older children. Drew said she was excited about the author as they have enjoyed his work as a family. “We started with picture books, ‘The Snips.’”

Rebecca Krieger and her son Isaac said they love Raul’s books which they discovered at the Roslindale branch of the Boston Public Library. Her son in particular found the books unique and asked his mother not to give the book back, she said smiling. She liked the bilingual aspect and in particular enjoyed the book on food trucks featuring a character called Little Lobo. His books offer different levels of reading and the same characters are in many of the books, she added.

Raul has appeared at the Roslindale branch library before and said he enjoys the community and introducing the youth to literature and being able to show up in person for them to see he is real. He credited Rozzie Bound for curating a great event. Stephanie Planchart, event manager, and Talia Whyte, owner of the bookstore sat near a table of his books near the entrance and made for a comfortable, seamless event. Planchart described Raul as a lot of fun and respects his inclusion of his culture in his books and characters. Whyte described the event as a great way to bring families together and sell his books. Rozzie Bound bookstore events are every month at the Substation. For more information, visit rozziebound.com. For a free event, it is well worth it in such a homey, upscale environment.