La flor de oro: un mito taÕno de Puerto Rico

Nina Jaffe

Mar 2006 · Arte Publico Press

About this ebook

Nina Jaffe's acclaimed retelling of an indigenous creation myth about the birth of Puerto Rico, The Golden Flower, is available for the first time in Spanish. Her account of the Taino's legend draws the reader to the island before the Spaniards arrived. The Tainos called their beloved island Boriquen. This is their story of how Boriquen 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 young readers, ages 4-8, to respect the gifts of the winds and the cycle of nature that bears fruit for the whole community. Jaffe's adaptation was inspired by her encounter with a Spanish-language article by Carmen Puigdollers, "Como se formo la bella isla de Boriquen," and folklore research in Puerto Rico.

About the author

NINA JAFFEÍS acclaimed retellings of world folklore include The Golden Flower: A TaÕno Myth from Puerto Rico (PiÐata Books, 1998), named an Honor Book in the 1998 Pura Belpr? Awards; La flor de oro: Un mito taÕno de Puerto Rico (PiÐata Books, 2006); The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale from the Jewish Tradition (Henry Holt and Co., 1998), a PJ Library selection; and PatakÕn: World Tales of Drums and Drummers (Cricket Books, 2001). Cited in Best Books for Children as ñamong the very best in the fieldî of authors who draw on oral traditions, her books have been honored with the Sydney Taylor Award and Anne Izard StorytellersÍ Choice Award and have been named a Smithsonian Notable Book. Recent publications include Tales for the Seventh Day: A Collection of Sabbath Stories (Scholastic, 2000) and Wonder Woman: I Am Wonder Woman (HarperFestival, 2004). Nina is on the graduate faculty of Bank Street CollegeÍs education department and lives in New York City. ENRIQUE O. SNCHEZ is a talented fine artist and an accomplished illustrator with several books to his credit, including Big Enough/Bastante grande by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman (PiÐata Books, 1998). He also owns an extensive drum collection. A conga player as well as an artist, he shares his passion for art and music with his son, Aron, who is also a musician and an artist. Sànchez lives in Vermont, with his wife, Joan, a modern dancer.