Elena lives in Utuado, Puerto Rico with her Abuela, her Papi, and her younger brother Benito in the shade of a mango tree where she picks fruit for a snack and listens to the coquí frogs each night:
CO-QUÍ, CO-QUÍ, CO-QUÍ
But one night the cocquíes stop singing, and Papi's radio isn't playing music but instead words of warning about a storm - a hurricane. Papi has a plan, and the family shuts up the house and huddles together in safety, even as the wind howls, the mango tree loses branches, and the roof of the house is blown away, letting in rain for hours.
After the hurricane passes, they are left without electricity or running water. Elena, her family, and her community, slowly work to clean up fallen trees, carry fresh drinking water, and eventually plant new seeds to rebuild their gardens. Elena sees her Abuela and her Papi losing energy, and misses her friends who moved away - but without the lights, she can see the stars more clearly than ever, and she knows that she is strong. As the months pass, new growth starts to return, buds appear on the mango trees, and one day when Elena opens her window she hears a familiar sound:
CO-QUÍ, CO-QUÍ, CO-QUÍ
This story ends with Elena's thought: "The coquíes' song sounds like home, even though home has forever changed."
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, vividly matching the tone of the story as it progresses. Backmatter includes notes about Hurricane María, cocquíes, and Puerto Rico.
Also available in Spanish: Los coquíes aún cantan