Encounter is a powerful story, told from the perspective of a young Taino boy, recounts the arrival of Christopher Columbus and his crew on the island of San Salvador in 1492. The boy, sensing the dangers of the strangers, tries to warn his people against their seemingly friendly intentions, which mask a deep desire for gold and conquest. As years pass, the boy grows into an old man, reflecting on the devastating impact the colonizers had on his people and their way of life. Through his eyes, readers are offered a poignant and thought-provoking look at history, loss, and the resilience of a culture that was nearly destroyed.
 
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
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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.