The Legend of Roberto Cofresi – A Puerto Rican Hero

Description

The Legend of Roberto Cofresí dates back to the 1800s and started in the town of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Numerous myths and legendary stories have been written about him and his transformation from a life of merchant sailor to corsair. He was one of the bravest and most compassionate corsairs of his time. Cofresí is renowned as the Robin Hood of Puerto Rico because of his generosity towards the poor people of Puerto Rico during a time of famine. For this reason, the people of Puerto Rico pledged their loyalty to him and protected him from the authorities until his eventual capture in 1825. Jacob and Joseph, love hearing bedtime stories about pirates. One day their father uses the opportunity to teach them a lesson on loyalty, generosity, and the warm-hearted nature of Puerto Rican culture by reading them a story of Roberto Cofresí. Jacob and Joseph want to be corsairs just like Roberto Cofresí.

About the Author:
Janet Balletta

Janet Balletta was born in Brooklyn, New York to Colombian and Puerto Rican parents. She was raised Catholic in Queens, New York. Janet moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 1993 and worked as an Administrative Assistant and K-2 ESOL Teacher for Palm Beach County Schools from 1993 to 2006. She currently lives and works as a bilingual first-grade teacher in Port St. Lucie, FL. Janet was inspired by her family to write, The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid y La Leyenda de la Sirena Colombiana, which is based on the legend of La Sirena De Hurtado, in Valledupar, Colombia in 2013. She wrote her second book, The Legend of Roberto Cofresí - A Puerto Rican Hero, which is based on the famous corsair from Puerto Rico in 2015. Janet is passionate about literacy with legends in particular. She hopes her English & Spanish books will inspire children to develop a passion for bilingual and multicultural literature.