Encounter

by Jane Yolen, David Shannon (Illustrator)

When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, what he discovered were the Taino Indians. Told from a young Taino boy’s point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Years later the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Cultural, Native American, Childrens, Historical, American History

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1992

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[G RdM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see how some people are bothered by the excruciating truth this story wishes to Impart to young readers. The story of Columbus is not a happy one for everyone. Not everything needs to be written and illustrated with rose colored glasses. Children, I am sure were terrified by the white men in weird clothes and crazy talk. I don't think you had to be there to know that, and I think the author explains that she is merely writing a fictionalized account of what happened and took into consideration what a messed up situation this was for the Taino people, and the people of the Americas in general. I know Latin American history, and so I felt comfortable enough to read this to my 1st grader and provide context. She goes to a catholic school where they still hail Columbus and I wanted her to know some more Context around what actually happened. He did not " discover" America for christ sake And he sure as hell didn't save all the savages souls!!! I know some might question me for this early
Introduction for my kids but just know as an anthro major with a very concentrated focus on Latin America and Iberia I feel ok with educating my kids about our history and this book is certainly a good start.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Yolen's 1992 historical fiction picture book Encounter (which looks like it was probably penned for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus "discovering" the so-called New World) tells of the first (and sadly also disastrously damaging and in the long run horrifyingly genocidal for many if not most of the Native populations of the Americas) meeting between the Caribbean's Taino Indians and Columbus and his crew (in other words with Europe, with Spain) in the autumn of 1492 on the island Christoper Columbus christened San Salvador (and which is now part of the Bahamas). And for me, but in particular for my older and more critical adult reading self, while I do really and massive appreciate most parts of Encounter and Jane Yolen's general intention of writing the story of Christopher Columbus' voyages of exploration and conquest from the point of view of the Taino (or rather of one particular Taino telling his story), there are some hugely problematic textual issues and problems for me personally to consider more than a low and rather grudging three star rating for Encounter.

Sure, I have definitely liked reading with Encounter an account of Christopher Columbus and his crew (of the Spanish explorers and "discoverers") where the author, where Jane Yolen does not in any way try to make Columbus and company appear as heroic and as positive, but instead and very clearly like the vile and the despicable subjugators, abusers and enslavers they obviously were (and I do find it rather horrible that some of the voices against Encounter actually seem to come from individuals who are absolutely furious at Jane Yolen for showing Columbus and his crew as being not in any manner individuals to celebrate, to honour, but greedy, bigoted and all round vicious, monster like entities). And furthermore, considering the actual historical reality, I am indeed also rather pleased that Jane Yolen does not give us some kind of fantastical Taino versus Spaniards and with the Taino emerging as victorious scenario in Encounter, as that would of course not be at all authentic and in fact simply and sadly pure and absolute wishful thinking and fantasy.

However, I also do very much understand and appreciate why Jane Yolen's text does not tend to sit all too well with many Native Americans and Canadians. For while Christopher Columbus appears and is (rightfully so) shown by Yolen as evil and disgustingly bigoted, the story of Encounter with its Cassandra of Homer's Iliad like theme of the young narrator's dreams and visions regarding the nefarious and horrible intentions of the Spaniards towards the Taino being disregarded and with tragic results, well, there is at least for me a very distinct and problematic undercurrent of victim blaming present in Encounter, that Jane Yolen's printed words seem to hold the Taino (and by extent all of the original nations, the first peoples of the Americas) personally responsible for their misfortunes, for being conquered, subjugated and abused, and which alongside of the wrongful and annoying author attitude of the Taino supposedly being totally extinct and gone (a typical and indeed hugely frustratingly problematic European and Caucasian North American attitude towards Native Americans/Canadians and their cultures) has certainly taken much of my reading pleasure away (and that my three star rating for Encounter is actually and in fact pretty massively generous). And honestly, Jane Yolen, as someone, as an author who is of Jewish background, she should in my opinion really and truly know better than to make Encounter an account where basically the Taino are being victim blamed. For well, I bet Yolen would, say, chafe and feel angry and offended at and by a novel, by a piece of writing about the Holocaust that tried to blame the Jews and not so much the Nazis for what happened.

And finally, I do think that David Shannon's accompanying artwork for Encounter is visually gorgeous and also portrays in particular the Taino respectfully. But sorry, for me Shannon's illustrations have actually and in fact been pretty much totally secondary and they equally do not even with their visual realism and likely authenticity, in any manner alleviate and change for the better the above mentioned issues I have had with Jane Yolen's narrative, with the way Encounter has been penned.

[Alia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because it is supposed to be from the Indigenous, Taino perspective. Here's the problem with this book, though it does get kids thinking about history from the indigenous perspective, Yolen ruins this book by going the "All the Indians are dead/disappearing Indian route." The old man literally is disappearing on the last page! This is simply not true and is very unfortunate. She stresses that there are no full blood Taino instead of taking the opportunity to use this book as a tool to discuss how Taino people/culture are still very much here. She should have done her research/consulted with Taino people/scholars before writing this book. That was her responsibility as a writer. POOR choice and it worries me/ is very telling that so many people on Goodreads gave this book 4 or 5 stars...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encounter is the story of Christopher Columbus from the point of view of a native Taino boy. The boy dreams of strangers coming to their island and posing a threat to his people. He tries to warn his people, but no one listens because he is a child. The story shows how the Taino eventually lost their culture and language because of this encounter. This book presents an alternate perspective from the traditional versions found in most history books.

Themes: Taino culture, Columbus, greed, slavery
Published: 1992
Grades 4-6
Award: Teacher's Choice Award

Classroom use:

This could be used in a social studies lesson about Columbus/Columbus Day. I would read Encounter and then have students compare what they learned about Columbus from this story compared to European versions of the same event. Discuss how different perspectives portray Columbus in a different light. Students could write paragraphs from the point of view of a Taino child discussing how he/she feels about Columbus discovering the island and then another one from a European point of view.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, it's told from a Taino boy's point of view, but it doesn't completely address the cruelty of Columbus and his men, while sort of placing some of the blame on the Taino leaders (for not listening to the narrator because he was a child, and for desiring the white mens' weapons). I don't know how a children's book can address Columbus, but this feels like an incomplete and potentially problematic start to the conversation.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Christopher Columbus' first meeting with the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere, when he and his men came ashore on San Salvador, on October 12, 1492, is here told from the perspective of a young Taino boy. After a terrible dream involving three white birds, the boy tries to warn his elders when three extraordinary 'canoes' show up on their shores, but to no avail. The white strangers, who seem almost human, are welcomed, and the consequences are terrible and long-lasting...

Published in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landfall on San Salvador, Encounter is meant to retell a familiar story - the 'discovery' of the 'New World' by Europeans - from an important but long-neglected perspective. The story does not reference many of the terrible things done by Columbus and his men directly. Rather, it concentrates on the narrator's first encounter with these strange non-quite human creatures, describes the feeling of unease the boy experiences, and his escape from their great ship, when he is taken away. After brief mention of his efforts to warn others, the narrative then skips ahead to the narrator's old age, as he looks back on the changes the coming of Europeans brought to his home island and region. On the whole, I find this approach quite constructive, and think it is age appropriate for younger children, perhaps six and under. It's important not to hide the terrible aspects of human history from children, but I believe it's equally important to consider the well-being of the child, when thinking of how to present that history to them. I have little patience with those who would whitewash history, but I have even less for those who would wallow in every historical atrocity, and insist that others do the same. When that insistence involves children, I become even less patient, as it often seems to me that such people preference their own desires - to share what they see as the truth, to feel righteous - over the psychological welfare of those most dependent upon them for protection and care.

All of which is to say, I prefer balance in these matters. Teach the truth, show multiple perspectives, and choose what specific narratives to share based on the developmental needs of the audience. I recently read three picture-book biographies of Christopher Columbus - David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus , Peter Sís' Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus and Demi's Columbus - in order to mark Columbus Day, and each takes a different approach to this issue. The Adler mentions but does not explore the impact Columbus' voyages had on the people of the Caribbean, the Sís' does not explore the aftermath of that landfall on San Salvador whatsoever, and the Demi offers the fullest depiction of some of the deleterious effects of the arrival of Europeans in the Caribbean. Each approach would work best with a slightly different age group, and for a different purpose, whether to learn about Columbus' life or to explore what drives explorers to head off into the unknown. Whatever the focus may be however, each one of these books is told from the perspective of Columbus, making a book like Encounter valuable, in its presentation of the parallel perspective of the native Taino. The fact that it is told (mostly) from a child's perspective makes it more powerful, as do the striking illustrations of David Shannon. I would recommend this one as a companion volume to any of the biographies mentioned above, and think it could be used in a Columbus Day lesson for younger children, or even in a lesson about how perspective shapes the historical narratives we embrace as a culture.

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely want more accurate books around Christopher Columbus, and there are parts of this story that I appreciate for that reason, but for some reason I just don't love it. Maybe because I'm not sure kids will actually learn much from it (other than a feeling of unease, questioning, etc.) as it feels incomplete. (It doesn't actually spell everything out.) Maybe also because it feels there's a weird blame game where one small child is made to look like he could have been the hero, the one everyone should have listened to, but because his elders/people didn't listen, the white almost-humans were able to get away with everything. Maybe because you start to see concerning issues but there's no conclusion/answer/information as to what really happens...

I'm not sure. I wanted this book to be the must-have resource for my classroom, but it's just not.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teacher, one of the more powerful Indigenous Peoples Day lessons I’ve taught involved reading this book bookended by discussions of its cover. This image offers a wealth of opportunities for conversations about Columbus’s awful legacy. I teach third grade and my students absolutely floored me with heretofore unseen insights when I read them this book.
On a literary note, the book suffers from a lack of simple coherence. It assumes prior knowledge when its audience may not have it. It is a wonderful impetus for discussion, but may need front loading to maximum its impact.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. Yolen didn't do the research to give us accurate details about Taino culture and people (maybe at the time, 1992, she couldn't?) but enough is known, and enough descendants still live, that they shouldn't be relegated to a simple role as lost victims. And of course she's not #OwnVoices (back then, what she did was considered a good thing, as she intended to give a voice to the powerless...).

But victimized by the invaders they were, and Yolen gets points for letting readers (of three decades ago!) know that. Back then the idea that "Columbus Day" should not be celebrated with joy, but as a day for realizing that there have been so many lost opportunities, was just starting to gain ground among progressives (I know; I was there).

And Shannon gets major points for the artwork which adds clarity and resonance to the text. The story could not stand alone.

In fact, it stands even better as companion to Encounter by Brittany Luby.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Columbus's first landfall in the new world, San Salvador, 1492. It is told with eloquence and prophetic wisdom from a Taino boy's point of view. The child thinks the ships are great birds and the the strange pale faced visitors have come from the sky. In innocence they are welcomed, but the boy's fears of the strangers foreshadow the future colonization and enslavement of the natives by the European invaders.

Since most stories of Columbus's voyages are told from the European point of view, this version captures the fear and victimization of a Caribbean people's "encounter" with the first Europeans. The sensitive instincts of the child narrator alerts the reader to the inevitable defeat of the indigenous people. This sophisticated picture book would be appropriate to read aloud around the Columbus Day holiday in order to inform students that the ultimate results of the voyages of Columbus were less than noble, and that even though these voyages led to the discovery of the American continent by future explorers, it is essential to know the accurate historical circumstances surrounding these events.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, we see a fictionalized version of Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of a young Taíno boy who lives on San Salvador where the Europeans land. This book offers a different perspective than much of what has come before about the arrival of Europeans on the American continent. This book can be used to spark a discussion about Columbus Day versus Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s also a powerful story for reading comprehension strategies like questioning, inferring, and visualizing.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A devastating exploration of the colonization of the Americas. Beautifully written with haunting illustrations.

[youj · Rating 3 out of 5]

cool perspective on the europeans' arrival to the americas, but author and artist arent indigenous, and is based off loose interpretation of a history that has had its records destroyed. in teaching, it is good to read the author's and illustrator's notes about this before/afterwards to help with contextualization. also, to note the impacts of columbus' arrival - i.e. the decimation of the taimo people, from a population of 300,000 to 500 within 50 years
beautiful writing!

[Vamos a Leer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encounter by Jane Yolen is told from the fictionalized perspective of a boy who was part of the Taino, the first tribe to have interacted with Columbus.

Encounter is one of the only children’s books to provide a narrative that gives voice to the Taino peoples. Perhaps this is, in part, because it is a hard narrative to share with young readers. The book has a somber tone and dark illustrations, suiting the grim story which it recounts. Readers learn about the encounter from the perspective of a young boy whose prescient nightmares prepare him for the misleading and abusive interactions between his people and the invading Europeans. The boy is taken away from his village, but eventually escapes from the Europeans. He grows into an elderly man who is able to tell the story of Columbus and use it as a warning to all the children and people in every land. This is what makes the book so unique among other accounts of Christopher Columbus — for once, the Taino people are not faceless, voiceless victims. We hear the story from their side.

Albeit solemnn, the book does have its lighter moments, such as in the following passage in which Yolen explains how the Taino people tried to befriend Columbus and his men

“Our chief gave the strangers balls of cotton thread to bind thus to us in friendship. He gave them spears that they might fish and not starve. He gave them gum-rubber balls for sport. He gave them parrots, too-which made our young men laugh behind their hands all over again, knowing it was our chief’s little joke, that the strangers looked like parrots.”

Those who do not support Columbus Day point out the exploitation and suffering of the native people that resulted from Columbus’ arrival, as well as the misconception that the explorer ‘discovered’ the Americas. The title of this book therefore works to help students re-evaluate how the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 impacted the people who had been living there for centuries.

Though this book can be a great tool to help tell an alternative narrative about Christopher Columbus, we nonetheless concede that it is not perfect. Unfortunately, the narrative offers a sense of finality of the Taino peoples – mistakenly suggesting that they were completely annihilated. This viewpoint is a common misconception, one held for a long time by many in mainstream culture. Yet not only is it untrue, it does an outright injustice to the Taino people who still exist today. They were far more resilient than the textbooks allow. Although largely decimated by the Spaniards at the time of conquest, the Taino people, like many indigenous communities, are currently revitalizing their culture.
To read our full review including links to classroom resources, visit the Vamos a Leer blog at http://tiny.cc/vamosaleer

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this shows Columbus as not a hero, but a destroyer and invader. The inside flap of the books says it well:  "It is said that in 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered a new world, yet what he really found was a people with an established culture and civilization of their own." I believe that it is extremely important for libraries to carry books  about historical events from multiple perspectives, and Encounter does that. It could be used in classroom lessons and library displays about Columbus Day. 

The story is very well told, but dark, of course, although it is not graphic. It is a good introduction for younger readers that Columbus may not be what they have previously heard. I am very impressed that this was published in 1992, when books like this were far more rare. 

Discussions of appropriation always occur when an author that is not of the background and culture of the subject writes a story purporting to tell a story from that perspective. But in the horrifying endnotes, we learn that that is not an issue - there are NO full-blooded Taino anymore. NONE. IN 1492, there were more than 300,000. But 1548, less than 500 remained. 

The art in this one is inconsistent. Some pages depict evocative, well-represented scenes. Some are weirdly dark and odd. 

I was surprised that this one is not core, and I had to go to another county's library to get it. I will be seeing if I can order a copy with discretionary money for my system because there are too few books like it in libraries.

[Ch_jank-caporale · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Christopher Columbus first landed in the Americas, he was met by a gentle people identified as the Taino of San Salvador. Within a few years, the tribe virtually vanished through violence when they sought to resist the European invasion, and through the diseases brought by the new-comers.
Encounter interprets first contact through the eyes of a young Taino boy, and we vicaiously experience his uneasiness and distrust of the foreigners. Near the end, he is taken prisoner,intended to be made a slave and destined for far-off Spain, but he manages to escape and we are led to believe he is telling his tale as a warning to others. Too late, though Yolen may imply that his message was heard and resulted in the eventual efforts to resist.
Encounter serves as a wonderful companion piece to Michael Dorris' Morning Girl. I also recommend Jacobs' nonfiction text “The Tainos: The People Who Welcomed Columbus." Both Encounter and Morning Girl raise questions about Columbus, and why we celebrate Columbus Day. Explicitly or implicitly, they encourage young people to ask critical questions about history.

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of a young Taino boy on the island of San Salvador is a sad telling of how the white explorers met his tribe and the disastrous results it had on his people. I adored the very first illustration of the dream ship and the humor of the tribe comparing the strange not-quite-human-beings they met to parrots due to their colorful coverings. :)

[Keely Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Christopher Columbus' voyage from a non-European perspective.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Opposing Viewpoints story for younger students about Columbus Day.

[Lauren Trader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical Fiction

This book is an old favorite and a WOW book for me through and through. It recounts the events of Columbus landing on San Salvador and his interactions with the Taino people. The story is told in the perspective of a child, and how many do not listen to him as he warns them of his dreams. He dreams that these foreign men are going to cause harm, but no one listens because he is a child. This book is best suited for 3-5th grade, and has a great connection to social studies lessons of history and Native Americans and early exploration.

This book could be a valuable resource for a lesson on making inferences based on background knowledge and context clues. The speaker is the young boy, and he speaks of his dream about the white men and their intentions. We also know from our background knowledge that many Natives died in these time periods and Europeans took many lands from them. During an interactive read aloud, you could have pauses where you give background knowledge to further understanding. During the read aloud, you can have the whole group pause and talk with a partner about what they predict will happen next. This also ties in with sequences, and a cause and effect theme. The book is told in a story format, so we truly see the sequence of events, and the consequences that come from certain actions.

This book also gives a good lesson on different points of view and text structure that comes with that. This story is spoken in the first person, which allows the reader to step into their shoes and truly experience the story. This book is a valuable tool for looking at the point of view of the story, and how it might be different being told from the other side of the Europeans or even from the perspective of an older person. A key struggle for the speaker is that no one listens because he is a child, so how would changing the perspective change that view?

Overall this book does an amazing job of retelling a story that is often told from the opposite point of view in history classes. This book also provides many extensions in different areas like social studies. It keeps the reader engaged with the story, and gives an emotional side to history that is often left out in the classroom.

[Kaitlyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical fiction book definitely served as a WOW book for me! Personally, I had never really heard of another perspective of Columbus 'discovering' American until reading this book. In "Encounter" a young Taino Indian boy tells the story of what he was thinking and feeling the day Christopher Columbus came to America in 1492. He describes how he tried to warn his people of the corrupt motives (gold, etc.) of the foreign sailors and how they would not listen. This book stood out to me because it really emphasized the importance of hearing both sides of a story and multiple perspectives. Even being a junior in college, I had never really heard this story from the Natives' perspective and I think it is definitely something that must be incorporated in the classroom. Furthermore, this book stresses the importance of teaching about other cultures and not just conforming to one. At the end of this story, the young boy, now grown man, talks about how his culture is now lost as a result of not preserving and telling what actually happened.

The book "Encounter" is definitely one I will be incorporating in my 3-5 grade classroom. Because it is a more controversial topic (whether we should praise Christopher Columbus or not), I could use this book to teach students the importance of learning about multiple perspectives. I would have students create a chart and on one inside include facts from a story that tells Columbus' side of the story (what we are most familiar with). I would then have students read "Encounter" and fill the other side of the chart with facts from it. Creating this chart will put an emphasis on how stories, even those that occurred at the same time, can be completely different based on who is telling it, and how important it is that we listen to both. Another, simple, way I could use this book in my classroom, would be to read it aloud to students prior to teaching a social studies lesson on "the discovery of America." This book could serve as an introduction and from there, students could conduct a project or presentation on the "true story of the discovery of America." After creating such presentations, students could present them to other classes and even other grade levels!

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not going to cut it.

The narration, from a child's point of view and largely focused on a presentimental dream, is confusing. It is just not even clear what happened in the end - like the entire point of the book was left out.

Also I am outraged by the illustrator's note, which flat-out says that he changed history to avoid offending white people.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, it's not actually American Indian, even though I put it in that category. This story of Columbus's first encounter with Taino natives in San Salvador, told from the point of view of a Taino child is dark, unsettling, and poignant. It just leaves me sad, but would be an excellent piece to add to a middle school/high school picture book collection. Yolen's use of POV and irony will prompt students to consider the important other side of the story that gets less representation in American Social Studies classes.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for seeing another view of Christopher columbus coming to America but from the Native Americans. Tell a in detail and descriptive

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful picture book about Columbus “discovering” the new world, written from the perspective of one of the indigenous people who witnessed the arrival. Pair this text with an older social studies textbook for an interesting discussion with older students about who writes our histories.

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction picture book from the point of view of a Taino indigenous boy upon seeing Columbus and his ships for the first time.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

We so often accept the stories of history we are taught without engaging the accuracy of the facts or considering all points of view. A story should include many points of view in order to gain the most full and accurate understanding of it. Encounter details a young boy’s life on the island of San Salvador where Columbus first landed. In America, we are taught to regard Columbus as a hero – to a fault; we forget to remember and teach that Columbus, too, was a human who was not perfect. We can appreciate his contributions while simultaneously studying his faults. Columbus and his men were not kind to these natives they encountered; they plundered and took advantage of them to the fullest extent. I believe this telling of the possible point of view of a young native allows students to go beyond the surface of a history lesson and begin to understand history is a real story of a real person’s life. Our lives are much more than ourselves – we impact people every day. This story illustrates the impact Columbus had from a different point of view than many have considered. Because of this, I believe this book is appropriate for grades 3-6 as it calls for higher level thinking and engagement.
This book could be a great introduction in a social studies lesson introducing history and the concept of stories. It could open up some great discussion regarding stories, points of view, and impacts of our actions. Because history is so often taught from only one point of view, I think this book would be a great segway into introducing the concept that history is about more than one person. You could begin this lesson by asking students to write down everything they think they know about Columbus. After reading the book, students will be asked to share their thoughts and things from the story they learned that contradict their prior knowledge about Columbus and coming to the “New World”. I also think this could lead to a great Language Arts connection as students could write a point of view story from Columbus or another native about the events that’s occurred.
I believe this book is a WOW book for me as it engaged me in a point-of-view we so rarely consider, but one that is so crucial. Our history tends to be very one-sided, ignoring the other side; I would argue, though, that a story is not truly understood until all voices are shared. I believe this story provides another standpoint to consider when remembering one of the most studied events and well-known characters in American history.

[Spencer Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book for its emotional discussion of the arrival of Europeans to the Americas. This text allows students to see from a different perspective of the event, instead of looking at the event through the view of great man history. While it is a fictional narrative there are also several things mentioned in the story that are supported by historical documents (what was traded, what the native people were like, as well as the story about the native person grasping a blade because they did not have iron and were unfamiliar - all documented in Columbus' own logbook). This is a great book to read if you're looking for a different perspective on Columbus.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book title: Encounter by Jane Yolen

Short description: This is a story about the first landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World.

Narrative features I would use use in a mini-lesson:

1. Point of view: Jane Yolen writes about Christopher Columbus in a different way. She writes in the perspective of a native boy. This is a powerful way to write about a historic event that is written about over and over again. Instead of telling the same story everyone has heard a million times, she chooses to tell the story of the natives (which in turns tells a completely different story from which people read about all the time). Students can use this book to help them write a historical narrative from a perspective not commonly used.

2. Beginnings: Yolen starts this story with a conflict. The boy has a dream about "great-winged birds with teeth." Students can use this example to help them create an interesting beginning.

3. Conflict and Resolution: This story has a strong conflict (man vs. man) and resolution. The resolution is not your common happy ending. Yolen ends this story sadly with the boy reflecting on the loss of his culture and people. Teachers can use this ending to illustrate how students can write stories about events that made them angry or sad in their lives.

Teach :CCSS Connection

3.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

1. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
2.Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
3.Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.
4.Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.

Expected Outcome: Students will be able to use this story to help them create a historical narrative from a different point of view to make their writing more powerful.
This story can also be used to help students write about events that are not happy and create strong conflict and resolution in their story.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text Set: Social Tragedy
Subject Matter: Colonization
Published: 1992
Book 4

Encounter by Jane Yolen is told from the fictionalized perspective of a boy who was part of the Taino of San Salvador, the first tribe to have interacted with Columbus.

The story is unique because most stories about Columbus are told from his perspective, and certainly most stories portray him as a hero. However, in Encounter we see Columbus as an invader and colonizer. In the beginning the young boy describes seeing the Spaniards come to shore for the first time, but he is confused because he has never seen humans like them before. Unlike others in his tribe the boy feels uneasy about these people (mainly because of a dream he has) and doesn't believe they should be trusted. One powerful scene from Yolen's book describes how the Spaniards touch their nose rings and bracelets but not their flesh - showing the human lust for gold.Despite the boys warnings now one hears him and the Taino welcome Columbus.

Soon after the boy is taken to the ship, with a few others, so far off shore that he can not even see land anymore. The resilient main character lets himself fall into the water and he swims back to shore and reconnects with his people. Again, he tells the people of what he has seen and warns them of the 'strangers from the sky' but no one listens to him because he is a child.

The book ends with the boy as an old man telling of the genocide of his people. He warns everyone of all they have lost - truly everything from religion and speech to their very land - and Yolen ends the book with the old man saying, "may it be a warning to children and all people in every land."

This book presents an alternate perspective from the traditional versions found in most history books and serves as an excellent way to discuss issues such as cultural genocide. This could be used in a social studies lesson about Columbus/Columbus Day. I would read Encounter and then have students compare what they learned about Columbus from text told in his perspective. This could even lead to a discussion about why we celebrate Columbus Day and if we should. Ultimately, this book allows students to question history and think about how people were treated when colonizers came - there is the social tragedy.