From Booklist , 06/01/96:
Ages 5^-8. The style is simple, but this popular Taino Indian creation
story gets rather complicated. In the beginning, people live on a single
mountain. After a boy finds and plants some seeds, a beautiful forest grows
on the mountain top. When two men fight over an enormous, noisy calabaza
(pumpkin) in the forest, it rolls down the mountain, crashes on a rock,
and splits wide open; the ocean with all its creatures spills out. Luckily,
the waters stop rising when they reach the forest. Thus, the island of
Puerto Rico is born. Glowing colors, stylized figures, and overlays are
the hallmarks of the eye-catching art, while the spare, clipped prose makes
this a folktale beginning readers can tackle. An illuminating author's
note is appended.
Copyright© 1996, American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Kirkus Reviews , 05/15/96:
Subtitled ``A Taino Myth From Puerto Rico,'' this is the legend of
how water came to the world. Puerto Rico, according to its earliest inhabitants,
was once a mountain in the middle of a vast dry plain. A child receives
magic seeds that grow into a lush green forest on the mountaintop. In that
forest, a vine produces a beautiful golden flower, and from the flower
springs a great golden pumpkin. Two men fight over the pumpkin, and in
their struggle they drop it. It rolls down the mountainside, bursts open
on a rock, and out springs the sea, flooding the plain and making Puerto
Rico the island it is today. Jaffe prefaces the story with an introduction
to Taino storytelling tradition, then uses an afterword to provide more
background information on these first people, including their fate at the
hands of Columbus. The story is told in a simple, lyrical style that will
quickly involve young listeners in the myth. S nchez's illustrations, done
in acrylic and gouache, are alive with swirling color; his human figures,
squat and thick, in keeping with the style of pre-Columbian art, have the
round-eyed wonder and build of Roy Gerrard's many characters. A welcome
addition to the folklore shelves. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8) -- Copyright
©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Horn Book :
When a child plants seeds he finds, a lush forest and a huge calabaza,
a pumpkin, grow. Two greedy men smash the brilliant gourd and out pours
the sea, covering everything except the magical forest planted by the innocent
child. Called Boriquén by the Taino, Puerto Rico is the setting
for this creation myth illustrated with paintings that use abstract geometric
shapes and warm colors. -- Copyright © 1996 The Horn Book, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Synopsis:
Long ago, the island of Puerto Rico was called Boriquen . . . . And
so begins this myth from the Taino, one of the indigenous cultures of the
West Indies. Exquisitely penned by a gifted storyteller, this unique tale
tells how a golden flower brought water to the world. Full color. Baby/Preschool.
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