After snuggling into bed each night, Alicia listens for the big voices of the tiny coquíesthat live all around Puerto Rico and sing her to sleep.Ko—kee, ko—kee, the little frogs call.Ko&md
After snuggling into bed each night, Alicia listens for the big voices of the tiny coquíes
that live all around Puerto Rico and sing her to sleep.Ko—kee, ko—kee, the little frogs call.
Ko—kee, ko—kee.
One day a terrible hurricane comes to Puerto Rico, and Alicia and her family take refuge
in a shelter. At bedtime Alicia hears grown—ups snoring and babies crying, wind howling
and rain pounding. But even though she listens hard, she cannot hear the song of the
coquíes. Are the little tree frogs safe? And what will Alicia and her family find at home
when the storm is over?
Alicia and the Hurricane is a sensitive look at the resilience of people, and native
creatures, whose lives have been disrupted by a natural disaster. With love and support,
family and friends come together to share, rebuild, and fill Alicia's heart with hope.
Ko—kee, ko—kee!
Alicia and the Hurricane / Alicia y el huracán | Spring 2022 | Lee & Low Books | Page 2 of 4
Después de acurrucarse en la cama cada noche, Alicia escucha las formidables voces
de los diminutos coquíes que viven en todo Puerto Rico y le cantan para que se duerma.
Co—quí, co—quí cantan las ranitas. Co—quí, coquí.
Un día un terrible huracán viene a Puerto Rico y Alicia y su familia se cobijan en un
refugio. A la hora de dormir, Alicia oye los ronquidos de los adultos y el llanto de los
bebés, el aullido del viento y el golpetear de la lluvia. Pero a pesar de que escucha con
atención, no puede oír el canto de los coquíes. ¿Estarán a salvo las ranitas? ¿Con qué se
encontrarán Alicia y su familia cuando la tormenta haya terminado?
Alicia y el huracán es una mirada sensible a la tenacidad de la gente y otras criaturas de
la naturaleza cuyas vidas son afectadas por un desastre natural. Con amor y apoyo, las
familias y los amigos se reúnen para compartir, reconstruir y llenar el corazón de Alicia
de esperanza. ¡Co—quí, coquí!
Bestselling author Lesléa Newman offers a tender and timely story of a Puerto Rican child facing a hurricane and her concern for the beloved coquíes of her home island.
La autora de bestsellers Lesléa Newman ofrece un tierno y oportuno cuento de una niña puertorriqueña que enfrenta un huracán y su preocupación por los amados coquíes de su isla natal.
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LESLÉA NEWMAN is the author of more than seventy—five acclaimed books for readers of all ages. She has received numerous awards for her work, including two Stonewall Book Award Honors and a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Newman is also a popular presenter at conferences, libraries, and schools. She lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with her spouse, Mary Grace Vazquez.
ELIZABETH ERAZO BAEZ is a Puerto Rican visual artist who is inspired by the greenery of Puerto Rico and the beauty of its landscapes. As a result, her paintings focus on tropical scenes and portraits of the Caribbean. She also works as an elementary school art teacher. Baez lives with her family in Miami, Florida. You can find her online at baezfineart.com.
GEORGINA LÁZARO adapted the English text of Alicia and the Hurricane into Spanish. She is a Puerto Rican poet who has written poems that introduce children to Frederico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote, and other mainstays of Hispanic/Latinx culture and tradition. She also writes and translates children's books. Lázaro lives with her family in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
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Comp Titles
978—080507—984—5 Sergio and the Hurricane $6.75
978—094292—914—0 Everywhere Coquís!/¡En dondequiera coquies! $11.50
978—173269—980—9Taming Your Tormenta: A Story AboutCourage and Hope in the Face of Hurricane
Maria $13.99
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"While reading this book I was taken back to the fear and uncertainty of the days before
and after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. Like young
Alicia, I also noticed the silence that invaded the nights. Like Alicia, I missed the sound
of the coquí, a little frog—like animal whose voice resonates every night as a reminder
that we are in Puerto Rico, and how proud we are to be Boricuas. Like Alicia, I also felt
that the silence of the coquí meant that hope had been lost. But young Alicia teaches us
that when the people of Puerto Rico began to help one another, the coquí began to sing
again. And that song is a symbol of the strength and love that we show when we stand
up for each other. Alicia and her family remind us that if we are together, HOPE, like the
song of the coquí, will be ever present in our lives."
Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2013?2020;
Weissman Fellow, Mount Holyoke College, 2021
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