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Taíno Tales
Taíno Tales: The Legend of Coquí
It's been said...
The son of a Taíno chief would fish late at night and while he did, he'd sing a special song to Caguana, the spirit of love. The goddess grew fond of him and his daily visits brought her great joy...but everything changed when Juracán, an evil spirit, grew jealous of the pair. And so begins the Taíno legend of how the coquí frog came to be.
The son of a Taíno chief would fish late at night and while he did, he'd sing a special song to Caguana, the spirit of love. The goddess grew fond of him and his daily visits brought her great joy...but everything changed when Juracán, an evil spirit, grew jealous of the pair. And so begins the Taíno legend of how the coquí frog came to be.
24 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2022
21 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 27, 2022
Despite being for young children, this was incredibly insightful- both culturally and linguistically.
I wish the book had been longer!
CW: death and grief
I wish the book had been longer!
CW: death and grief
May 19, 2022
The retelling of the tale is good. I just wish the book had been a bit longer.
May 28, 2022
Once upon a time, in an area we now know of as the Caribbean, a man named Coqui meets a goddess and the two become friends. Unfortunately, their time together is brief, but the legend lives on.
This tale has all the hallmarks of a classic legend, including a sad but meaningful ending. The illustrations are lovely, and the cultural notes are helpful and concise. I've been learning about Taino culture lately and was very excited to have found more books to add to my understanding. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys cultural legends and is curious about history.
Thank you to Vicky Weber and BookSirens for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
This tale has all the hallmarks of a classic legend, including a sad but meaningful ending. The illustrations are lovely, and the cultural notes are helpful and concise. I've been learning about Taino culture lately and was very excited to have found more books to add to my understanding. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys cultural legends and is curious about history.
Thank you to Vicky Weber and BookSirens for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
May 19, 2022
A beautiful book about a Taíno legend. As I have always liked legends of all types, I decided to get this book and I don’t regret it at all.
Beautiful illustrations tell us the story of Coquí, a man who liked to go to the river to fish, and Caguana the spirit of love.
I would love to read more Taíno Tales.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Beautiful illustrations tell us the story of Coquí, a man who liked to go to the river to fish, and Caguana the spirit of love.
I would love to read more Taíno Tales.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 1, 2024
A beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations! I loved the retelling of this Puerto Rican traditional story for children, it is simple and easy to understand. I enjoyed this one a lot and will read it to my children. 5⭐
December 22, 2022
Absolutely beautiful
July 11, 2022
Taino Tales - The Legend of Coqui, by Vicky Weber, is a thing of beauty! Everything about this book works. Vicky’s thoughtful, poetic retelling of the Taino peoples myth, combined with the beautiful illustrations by Olha Melnyq create a moving picture book.
The narrative is simple but evocative. Vicky’s carefully chosen words include Taino. A pronunciation guide at the beginning of the story helps the reader, setting out clearly how these indigenous words should be said. It’s written in such a way that their meanings become clear within the story.
The illustrations really are special. Children can have lots of fun imitating the style and working with the colour pallet Olha has used. The book lends its self to engagement with art and with literature within a school setting. It would be a wonderful addition to any school library.
The myth is followed by an age appropriate, non- fiction account about the Taino people. Alongside this, the author shares words we have derived from the Taino. I loved this. It acts like a golden thread, creating a linguistic link between now and then that children can relate to.
I can’t over emphasise what a pleasure this book was to read. I’m looking forward to further legends of the Taino.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The narrative is simple but evocative. Vicky’s carefully chosen words include Taino. A pronunciation guide at the beginning of the story helps the reader, setting out clearly how these indigenous words should be said. It’s written in such a way that their meanings become clear within the story.
The illustrations really are special. Children can have lots of fun imitating the style and working with the colour pallet Olha has used. The book lends its self to engagement with art and with literature within a school setting. It would be a wonderful addition to any school library.
The myth is followed by an age appropriate, non- fiction account about the Taino people. Alongside this, the author shares words we have derived from the Taino. I loved this. It acts like a golden thread, creating a linguistic link between now and then that children can relate to.
I can’t over emphasise what a pleasure this book was to read. I’m looking forward to further legends of the Taino.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 13, 2022
I received a free eARC from Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.
I am Puerto Rican and as soon as I saw a children's book about Taino legends I had to read it! the illustrations were stellar and I really enjoyed the extra information included with this book including culture notes and word meaning. It is made with the intention of having a deeper conversation with your child about indigenous cultures, which is fantastic! I wish the actual legend could have been a bit more oral in nature or had a bit more meat in the bone, but I get that this is for young readers. Overall recommendation
I am Puerto Rican and as soon as I saw a children's book about Taino legends I had to read it! the illustrations were stellar and I really enjoyed the extra information included with this book including culture notes and word meaning. It is made with the intention of having a deeper conversation with your child about indigenous cultures, which is fantastic! I wish the actual legend could have been a bit more oral in nature or had a bit more meat in the bone, but I get that this is for young readers. Overall recommendation
July 19, 2022
Learning my heritage plus a fairy tale on the side
This book is worth the wind. The art is correct taking I couldn't stop staring at it for more than 5 minutes. Speaking as a Caribbean descent I appreciate this Facebook and the author for planning the time and effort to never to give me an others like me a taste of the Taino tribe. If you have a child For you yourself enjoy a little oh or oatmeal from an ancient tribe of agent tried I suggest you purchase this or read it on kindle unlimited
This book is worth the wind. The art is correct taking I couldn't stop staring at it for more than 5 minutes. Speaking as a Caribbean descent I appreciate this Facebook and the author for planning the time and effort to never to give me an others like me a taste of the Taino tribe. If you have a child For you yourself enjoy a little oh or oatmeal from an ancient tribe of agent tried I suggest you purchase this or read it on kindle unlimited
May 21, 2022
This is a gorgeous book, telling the tale of Coquí. The illustrations are magnitude and the story itself is heart wrenching. The inclusion of how to pronounce names is very helpful, as well as the added history of the Taino at the end.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 24, 2022
BEAUTIFUL!
Another beautiful story written by Vicky Weber. The illustrations were beyond captivating, drawing me in with every beautiful detail.
Taíno Tales is simplistic yet intricately written. Another love story and another beautiful ending. Not a typical princess love ending, but a magical ending indeed!
Another beautiful story written by Vicky Weber. The illustrations were beyond captivating, drawing me in with every beautiful detail.
Taíno Tales is simplistic yet intricately written. Another love story and another beautiful ending. Not a typical princess love ending, but a magical ending indeed!
May 26, 2022
Love!
Love that it incorporates both culture and love. I have one child who loves travel and another his loves fairytales and this brings joy to both of them.
Love that it incorporates both culture and love. I have one child who loves travel and another his loves fairytales and this brings joy to both of them.
September 28, 2022
I loved this story. It is a sweet story about love. The illustrations are beautiful and everyone needs to read this lovely book.
February 4, 2025
The pictures are pretty, but the story/writing is just meh.
May 27, 2023
Ms Weber's book is a faithful retelling of the Taino legend of the coqui. The book is gorgeously illustrated in full color. The story is bittersweet yet magical.
I fell in love with coquis when lodging at a parador in the El Yuque rainforest in Puerto Rico many years ago. Amazingly, there are coquis where I live in southern California. Naturally I had to read this book. It's a wonderful book for children of all ages!
I fell in love with coquis when lodging at a parador in the El Yuque rainforest in Puerto Rico many years ago. Amazingly, there are coquis where I live in southern California. Naturally I had to read this book. It's a wonderful book for children of all ages!
September 19, 2022
I really enjoyed this Taino myth explaining the creation of frogs and the sounds that they make. I noticed a couple of grammatical errors, but they didn't greatly distract from the story. The illustrations are beautiful. I received an advance copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
October 8, 2023
Like the first book in Taíno Tales it is much of the same. Beautiful illustrations, an interesting story about love and Coqui. I think kids will find it interesting, attention grabbing, and beautiful to look at.
Also like with the first one, I’m confused by the talk of Taíno people in past tense when the author identified as Taíno descent.
Also like with the first one, I’m confused by the talk of Taíno people in past tense when the author identified as Taíno descent.
January 11, 2023
Weber really brought this tale to life with her words and, paired with Melnyk, the whole story came off the pages! A favorite in my household now, cannot wait to see future titles from this duo.
March 8, 2023
A cute little story that's beautifully illustrated. My only real gripe is that in the end the author states the Taíno people are extinct which isn't true. We are very much still here.
August 21, 2023
Cute
Such a cute little booklet. I'm just learning about Taino tales and culture so I cannot speak to it's validity just yet.
Such a cute little booklet. I'm just learning about Taino tales and culture so I cannot speak to it's validity just yet.
July 5, 2025
short and sweet
I love this! Love the pictures and loved the guide for the words. I would Recommend specially with growing littles.
I love this! Love the pictures and loved the guide for the words. I would Recommend specially with growing littles.
August 12, 2025
I love reading books that involve my ethnicity, me being Puerto Rican. I thought this story and the art were refreshing and wholesome. I will read the others in the series.
August 28, 2025
Love this
As a Puerto Rican I never knew the story of coqui now I know lived this book learned something new
As a Puerto Rican I never knew the story of coqui now I know lived this book learned something new
January 2, 2026
Taíno Tales: The Legend of Coquí by Vicky Weber – This was an Amazon freebie. You should find a youtube video of the little frog so you can appreciate how sweet it is! Happy Reading!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews