Dora learns to overcome her fears of a mentally ill woman who lives in her community in this gentle and compassionate story set in contemporary Jamaica, West Indies.
Caribbean
Grannie Jus’ Come
Grannie Jus’ Come! joins a host of Caribbean children’s books, but unlike the rest–which are mostly song books, poetry books, and counting books–this book offers a rich narrative about a young girl and her loving relationship with her grandmother.
Darkfright
Her island neighbors call her “Darkfright” because she is so afraid of the night. As darkness comes on, Darkfright does anything in her power to keep it away–she turns on all the lights and bustles around the house as if it were day. Then one night a fallen star crashed through her door, a star that needs care and mending, and ultimately to be replaced in the night sky. The broken star helped her see things differently.
Hurricane!
One moment the sun is shining on the slopes of El Yunque, the largest mountain in eastern Puerto Rico. The next, everything has changed. The sky has turned deep purple, and you feel as if the air has been sucked from your lungs. That can mean only one thing: A hurricane is coming!
Cuba
This book explores the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of Cuba.
Hue Boy
Everybody talks about little Hue Boy’s size. He gets teased by his friends at school, his mother worries day and night, and his grandma sews up clothes for him to grow into. Buy he does not change at all, even though just about everyone in the village offers advice. Yet in time Hue Boy grows to understand what it really means to stand tall, no matter what his height.
Puerto Rico
This book explores the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of Puerto Rico.
Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa
Celia Cruz is the Queen of Salsa. She enjoyed singing and sings songs to her siblings when she was younger. In high school, she sang Afro-Cuban rhythms in local clubs. Then she was hired as lead singer for Cuba’s most popular band, La Sonora Matancera, and together they created a new style of Latin dance music. She left Cuba and started her singing career in the United States. She continues to sing over 49 years.creat
Sambalena Show-Off
A lazy boy gets his head stuck in a pot, and only with the wise advice of his grandmother does he get it out.
How the Sea Began
The gourd containing the bow and arrow of the great departed hunter, Yayael, produces a torrent of water that becomes the world’s ocean.