Yolen, Jane. Encounter. Illustrated by David Shannon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2008. ISBN: 01-15-225962-7.
Author Website: http://janeyolen.com/
Illustrator website: None.
Media: acrylic
Use of Simile: (p. 6) “voices like thunder.” (p. 11) “hair growing like bushes on their chins.” (p. 12) “like the barking of a yellow dog,” (boy narrator’s perception of how Columbus’ men sound when they converse).
Use of Onomatopoeia: (p. 6) “clap of thunder.” (p. 10) “spat out many strange creatures.”
Use of Metaphor: (p. 8) “each great canoe gave birth to many little ones.” (p. 12) “the skin was moon to my sun.”
Use of Alliteration: (p. 18) “pepper pot,” “fresh fish,” “feasting fire.”
Curricular Connection: California Social Studies Standards, Grade Five, Standard 5.2: Students trace the routes of early explorers and describe the early explorations of the Americas and 5.3 Students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and between the Indian nations and the new settlers.
Special Notations: 2009 Students' List
Annotation: A Taino boy dreams of scary sharp-toothed birds arriving on ships. The next day, the first Europeans arrive on American shores. The boy warns his people not to trust the pale visitors, but no one listens.
Personal Reaction: David Shannon’s dark, painterly illustrations set an ominous tone for Yolen’s tale of Columbus’ arrival in San Salvador. A young Taino boy is the first to see Columbus’ three boats coming to shore and realizes that his dream from the previous night was a premonition. This story of exploration and discovery is told from the Taino perspective, as imagined by the author. There are no Taino descendents alive today. Shannon’s paintings are drawn from the boy narrator’s perspective, too, allowing the reader to understand how frightening it was to be invaded and, later, to be taken away to become a slave. This is a good story for helping students in fifth grade understand that every story has at least two sides and that history is worth examining from different angles. Shannon is known for his humorous writing and drawing and it is nice to see his restraint in Encounter in order to convey the fears of the Taino boy. I would use this book along with another book told from the explorers’ perspective for a compare and contrast lesson. Students can be encouraged to empathize with the Taino and the explorers, in turn, to understand the differing perspectives of these two groups.
