"Long ago, in Puerto Rico, all the animals did was eat, sleep, and snack. The parrot, queen of the forest, grew worried and challenged them all to a race. Will they participate and who will win?"--Amazon
I miss the sound of Puerto Rico's most celebrated frog. Best to experience at El Yunque Rainforest. Nights in Puerto Rico are magical. Miss my island home. Buenas noches.
The sound of the coqui is: coqui-coqui – a happy little tune of a beloved little green frog.
The Legend of the Coqui by Georgina Lazaro, illustrated by Bruno Robert. PICTURE BOOK. Reycraft Books, 2020. 9781478868026
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
A parrot challenges the rainforest animals to a race and everyone starts training. It seems that the little frogs stand no chance, but they leap ahead and end up winning the race. Everyone cheers with the sound of the frog and this sound is now the sound of the forest at night.
The booked lacked any clear indication of what motivated the animals beyond boredom and as a reader I never felt invested in who the winner would be. The frogs didn’t work particularly hard or do anything spectacular and, except for being small, their win was unimpressive.
Very beautiful book that showcases animals found in Puerto Rico. Beautifully drawn, the story feels like it makes you want to move and run with the animals. Love how the author imagined how is it that the coquíes obtained their cute singing voice... totally recommend it!!! Cannot wait to read it at my library. Would have love to have a bit of more informationg regarding the reason of the animal's boredom/ feeling-down emotion, but other than that is all good.
I loved the illustrations, so colorful and sweet. The story is ok, not much to it. I would have loved to read more about the way the story interacts with the culture of Puerto Rico. If the book didn't say it I would never have known it was from there. I'm not sure how much children will like it.
A sweet little fable about how the Coqui found its voice. I can certainly hear them in the background when our Puerto Rican relatives call, so it worked. :)