A poignant account of Columbus's landfall in the Americas, from a Taino boy's point of view. After a terrible prophetic dream, the lad begs his elders not to welcome the strangers, but they disregard him. He sees how they look at his people's gold; he temporarily becomes their captive; and at the end, as an old man, he sadly notes: ``We lost our lands...we gave our souls to their gods...our sons and daughters became their sons and daughters, no longer true humans....'' Shannon's dark, richly colored paintings brilliantly capture the story's emotion and the sense of worlds colliding; Europeans are rendered with a rugged realism that strongly recalls the work of N.C. Wyeth, and the Native Americans look like polished wooden figurines-- with the border between these two realities shifting and changing. The author closes with a historical note, while the illustrator ends with an apology for adding loincloths to his figures. O tempora! O mores! (Picture book. 9-12)

Gr 2 - 5-- Readers weary of materials celebrating Columbus and his voyages will be refreshed and intrigued by this thought-provoking picture book. The imaginative story examines the first meeting between Columbus and the indigenous peoples of San Salvador (the Taino) through the eyes of a young native boy. The unnamed narrator has been warned in an ominous dream that the strangers may bring trouble to his people. His concerns are ignored, however, and the Taino greet their guests with customary feasting and gifts, only to be repaid by the abduction of several of their young people. Taken among the captives, the boy escapes and slowly makes his way home, trying to convince others along the way that the Spanish pose a threat, but to no avail. Yolen acknowledges in an author's note that no record of the Tainos' reaction to Columbus's arrival is available; this account is instead an evocative imagining of how things might have been. The haunting story is perfectly complemented by Shannon's powerful acrylic paintings. He mentions that, in fact, the Taino did not wear clothing, but feels that his decision to clothe them does not interfere with the plausibility or effectiveness of his presentation. A book that offers readers an alternative perspective on a well-known and much-celebrated historical event. --Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An elderly Taino man describes his boyhood memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus and his men to his land and the danger they bring to his people. Yolen tells an original, thought-provoking tale that rises above the many Columbus books available, and David Shannon's illustrations, reminiscent of N. C. Wyeth's work, add grandeur to this poignant tale. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 6-10. Written from the point of view of a Taino Indian boy, this unusual picture book presents the first encounter of native Americans with Columbus. One night, the boy awakens from a terrifying dream about three predatory birds riding the waves, only to see three strange ships anchored in the bay the next day. Alternately frightened, amused, and fascinated by the strangers who come ashore, he warns his chief not to welcome them; but he is brushed aside, his alarm seen as the result of a child's nightmare. Besides, the Indians covet the weapons and trinkets the white men possess. The boy's fears come true, both for himself and his tribe. He and several other Indians are taken as slaves, and though he jumps overboard and escapes to warn other tribes of the danger, it is to no avail. At the end of the narrative, the Taino wiped out, the boy, now a ghostly old man, sits alone, saying, "So it was we lost our lands to the strangers from the sky. . . . May it be a warning to all the children and all the people in every land." Shannon's striking acrylic paintings illustrate the story with imagination and power. Yolen weaves historical data into a narrative that holds together well, yet readers may feel her presence and point of view more strongly than the narrator's. Notes on the historical basis for the text and artwork are appended. While the portrayal of Columbus as evil may strike traditionalists as heresy, he did hunger for gold, abduct native people, and, ultimately (though unintentionally), destroy the Taino. This book effectively presents their point of view. Contrast it with The Log of Christopher Columbus and Conrad's Pedro's Journal for a lively discussion with students. (Reviewed Mar. 1, 1992)0152259627Carolyn Phelan

PW's starred review described this "stirring" book as a look at the dark underside of Christopher Columbus's adventure. "The message is blunt but the language in which it is couched is vintage Yolen, lyrical and impassioned. Shannon's visionary style is an ideal complement." Also available in a Spanish-language edition, Encuentro ($6, -201342-3). Ages 6-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved