History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People

＂In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? Wrong! Columbus never actually set foot in what is now the United States. His voyages took him to islands in the Caribbean and along the coast of South America. The truth is, when Columbus first arrived, Indigenous peoples, including the Taino, had been living there for thousands of years, raising their families, running their societies, and trading with their neighbors. He didn’t ＂discover＂ the lands at all! And his name? Not even really Christopher Columbus!＂--

KATE MESSNER is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books, like Over and Under the Snow; novels, like Breakout and Chirp; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series and the popular Ranger in Time chapter books; and works of nonfiction with a focus on nature and history.
JOSÉ BARREIRO is a Cuban-born American writer, journalist, and former professor of Native American studies at Cornell University. He is a member of the Taíno Nation of the Antilles.