When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, what he discovered were the Taino Indians.

Told from a young Taino boy's point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Years later the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers. 

Notes on the historical basis for the text and artwork are appended. 

"Shannon's dark, richly colored paintings brilliantly capture the story's emotion."— Kirkus 

An IRA Teachers' Choice. 

An "American Bookseller" Pick of the Lists.