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Winner of both the Alcuin Society Design Award and the Storytelling World Honor Award, this is the eerie and colorful tale of the legendary creature–half human, half demon–that roams the Caribbean night, and how a brave Grandma outwits it.
Winner of both the Alcuin Society Design Award and the Storytelling World Honor Award, this is the eerie and colorful tale of the legendary creature–half human, half demon–that roams the Caribbean night, and how a brave Grandma outwits it.
Uses simple verses to introduce young readers to Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and other characters and incidents from the classic Cervantes novel.
Puerto Rico’s best-selling author offers us this warm and loving tale about relationships between father and child. In a kingdom far, far away, a time and place has been set to choose the best father of all. In verses, each one of the animals, from a chick to a firefly, from a frog to a penguin, tells why their candidate is the best one. Find out the reasons why everyone’s father is the best in the world.
For many Latino Americans one of the best things about Christmas is that it lasts for twelve days. The final day, Three Kings Day, comes on January 6 and honours the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem. It’s a favourite holiday for children, with presents from the kings as well as parades, performances, parties, lively music, and scrumptious food. While describing the customs and revelry ten-year-old Veronica shares with her family and New York City’s Puerto Rican community, this book portrays a celebration that is rich in tradition and artistry. A glossary and index are included.
Nina Jaffe’s acclaimed retelling of an Indigenous creation myth about the birth of Puerto Rico, The Golden Flower, in a Spanish edition. The Taínos called their beloved island, Boriquén. This is their story of how Boriquén came to be. In the beginning, there is only a giant mountain above a dry plain without water or plants. A child walking over the flat land below the mountain finds seeds dancing in the wind. When he plants the seeds on the top of the mountain, a forest grows on the crest and in that forest, a large golden flower appears. Soon, the boy and his community reap benefits that they had never before imagined. A joyful creation myth about the evolution of a beautiful island habitat, this picture book is also a celebration of the young boy’s quest, which encourages readers to respect the gifts of the winds and the cycle of nature that bears fruit for the whole community.
Doctor Bird is one smart hummingbird! When he sees Mongoose stealing food, he drops a weather goofball on her house and really teaches that thief a lesson. When Mouse’s home is destroyed by a storm, Doctor Bird teaches him to keep his head up. And when Owl plans to crash a party dressed like Doctor Bird, Doctor Bird teaches him to be himself–and be proud of it. Presented in the rich storytelling tradition and lush colors of the West Indies, these three tales remind readers that it’s always best to look up when problems land at your feet. Jamaicans believe Doctor Bird has magical powers, and if you don’t believe them, just ask Mongoose, Mouse and Owl!
When Tukama is captured by a two-headed giant and held prisoner by the giant’s wife, he uses his flute to escape.
Wealthy landowner Don Rigol practically owns the town. To expand his coffee plantation, he will lay waste the mountain jungle and the secret valley where the ancient breed of Paso Fino horses roams wild. Best friends Enriquito and Ernestina search for a way to save the ponies, ensure justice at a trumped-up trial, and reclaim the mountain for their people. Magical realism
Carmen Agra Deedy delivers this retelling of the Cuban folkltale. Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn’t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That’s where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her really useful advice.
La nina seria, the serious child. That’s how Consuelo’s mother has cast her pensive, book-loving daughter, while Consuelo’s younger sister Mili, is seen as vivacious–a ray of tropical sunshine. Two daughters: one dark, one light; one to offer comfort and consolation, the other to charm and delight. But something is not right in this Puerto Rican family. Set in the 1950s, a time when American influence is diluting Puerto Rico’s rich island culture, Consuelo watches her own family’s downward spiral. It is Consuelo who notices as her beautiful sister Mili’s vivaciousness turns into mysterious bouts of hysteria and her playful invented language shift into an incomprehensible and chilling “language of birds.” Ultimately Consuelo must choose: Will she fulfill the expectations of her family–offering consolation as their tragedy unfolds? Or will she risk becoming la fulana, the outsider, like the harlequin figure of her neighbor, Mario/Maria Sereno, who flaunts his tight red pedal pushers and empty brassiere as he refuses the traditional macho role of his culture. This affecting novel is a lively celebration of Puerto Rico as well as an archetypal story of loss, the loss each of us experiences on our journey from the island of childhood to the uncharted territory of adulthood.
Americas Award For Children’s And Young Adult Literature. Winner