An oldie, but a goodie for Columbus Day

Although we had school off yesterday for Columbus Day, October 12th is the true date of Columbus Day.  If you are looking for something to do, you should consider using this book with your kids.

This book tells the story of Christopher Columbus's landing in San Salvador, but it tells it from the view of Taino child on the island.  The point of view is the key difference in this story from other books about Columbus.  The child is warned in a dream of the arrival of the Europeans, and although he pleads to the adult leaders on his island not to welcome them, his warnings fall on deaf ears.  The afterword tells of how the arrival of the Europeans led to the end of the Taino people and change in its culture.  It is a great book to get kids thinking differently about things that they have always before just accepted.  I hope you can get your hands on a copy of this book to share it with your class before the week is over!