Review
There are countless children's books about Columbus. They vary greatly in quality, but they almost all have one thing in common - they are told from a white European point of view. So, it seems nice to have this one book which offers up a different perspective. Of course, even that is problematic. Since we don't have a written record of how Native American's truly felt about their earliest interactions with European explorers any book told from that point of view has to be conjecture. But, of course, a lot of historical fiction is conjecture. However, this book is written by a white author with (as far as I know) no ties to any particular Native American community - least of all the Taino. It's also important to note that this book has been taken to task for *still* presenting a Euro-centric point of view by portraying the Taino as passive victims - perhaps even complicit in their own downfall. So, it's not perfect - that much is clear. Still, I am glad this book exists to share with children as a counterpoint to all the other books out there. I'm curious now to try [b:A Coyote Columbus Story|979700|A Coyote Columbus Story|Thomas King|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1179964030s/979700.jpg|964588] which is recommended in [b:A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children|2234743|A Broken Flute The Native Experience in Books for Children|Doris Seale|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348745101s/2234743.jpg|2240580] as an alternative.
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