La Meriendita Story Hour: Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898

Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 4 PM ET

Join CENTRO in East Harlem for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children’s books! This month’s Meriendita features Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898 by Adriana Erin Rivera. Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico was created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Latino, Nuestras Voces shares inspiring Latino stories.

It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mama, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the goats, chickens, and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music–the song of the coqui frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi’s tiple guitar. But Paloma’s world begins to change when United States soldiers invade Puerto Rico, long controlled by Spain. What will happen to their farm, their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can’t control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Bring your little ones by for a story on their culture and snacks!

Cover art illustrated by Eugenia Nobati

La Meriendita has been made possible in part by the support of the U.S. Congress. We thank Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Representative Adriano Espaillat.