There's a Coqui in My Shoe!

Book excerpt: There's a Coqui in My Shoe! (International Latino Book Award Winner-Best Educational Children's Book-English) is a distinctive and delightful story celebrating Puerto Rico's national treasure, the Eleutherodactylus (El-oo-thear-oh-dak-till-us) coqui (co-kee). It splendidly captures, in breathtaking illustrations, the vibrant color, culture, flora, and fauna of the island. A young boy named Armando surprisingly discovers a coqui in his red shoe. Carlito the Coqui is lost and cannot find his way home to the rain forest. Armando befriends Carlito and anxiously waits for the following day to accompany his mother, Lola, to sell their pushcart of piraguas (snow cones) to the Puerto Rican children. The storybook is full of yummy tastes, bright colors, and dramatic sounds, and Puerto Rico's cultural importance is described in the scenes and places mentioned such as El Yunque National Forest, El Morro, Old San Juan, Casa Rosa, and the white, sandy beaches. In There's a Coqui in My Shoe!, the author presents to children an educational and entertaining lesson, not only in this elusive amphibian, but also in the environmental, geographical, historical, and cultural references of the island. She cleverly incorporates these elements into the story and features some of Puerto Rico's most famous people who have made significant contributions to the arts and humanities such as Rita Moreno, Jose Feliciano, and others. In addition, children will be amused with finding hidden objects throughout the illustrations. Viva Puerto Rico!