Sergio and the Hurricane

In Puerto Rico, a little boy and his village experience the drama and destruction of a hurricane Sergio lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Juan is usually sunny and peaceful, but one day the sky grows dark and the ocean gets choppy. A hurricane is coming, and Sergio and his family must prepare for the storm. Through the experiences of one little boy, readers will learn about hurricanes and the damage they can do.

Vejigante Masquerader

Determined to look his best for the upcoming celebration, a young Puerto Rican boy makes a special costume so that he can be a vejigante, or masquerader, in a book that includes a Spanish-English glossary, chants, and instructions for making a vejigante mask.

An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio

A collection of stories captures the lives of different teenagers growing up in the barrio, including Rita, who goes to live with her grandparents in Puerto Rico; Luis, who spends his days working at his father’s junkyard; and Sandra, who tries to rediscover her natural Latino beauty.

Atariba and Niguayona: A Story from the Taino People of Puerto Rico

A Taino Indian legend about a young boy and his search for the healing caimoni tree.

The Meaning Of Consuelo: A Novel

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

Old Letivia And The Mountain Of Sorrows

Shunned by superstitious townspeople who are suspicious of her healing gifts, Old Letivia, a wisewoman who lives on the rainforest island of Borinquen, journeys into the forest with her two friends and encounters dangerous tests of her courage.

La Flor de Oro: Un Mito Taino de Puerto Rico (Spanish Edition)

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.

El Flamboyan Amarillo

A young boy and his mother go for a walk in the country and are awed by the beauty of a yellow flamboyan tree. After enjoying its company and shade, the child takes one of its seeds with him and plants it. He cares for it over many years and in time the plant grows into a beautiful flowering tree.

La Canción Del Coquí Y Otros Cuentos De Puerto Rico

Three Puerto Rican stories include the title story, which represents the land’s indigenous Tainos; the tale of la Guinea, which is rooted in the nation’s African culture; and la Mula’s tale, a story of Spanish origin.