The Song of El Coqui and Other Tales of Puerto Rico

Three stories about three animals-each creature, says Mohr (In Nueva York), exemplifies one of the three most important cultural groups in Puerto Rico. After the lonely god Huracan rages against silence, he hears the singing of the little coqui (representing the indigenous Tainos) and is soothed. La Guinea, a guinea hen (symbolic of the African people) makes a perilous journey from Africa to the New World on a slave ship. And La Mula, from Spain, flees a cruel master to join a community of cimarrones (escaped slaves) in the hills. The deeper levels of these stories may escape younger children but they are told with drama and humor, their energy enhanced by the bright, fluid colors of Martorelli's (Where the Flame Trees Bloom) paintings. Semi-abstract compositions and patterns nearly kaleidoscopic in their density create a lustrous ambience. Together, stories and art afford an unusually engaging introduction to Puerto Rican culture and history. All ages. (Aug.)