PLEASE DO THIS PLEASE PLEASE Froggy Weather
Many years ago, Puerto Rico was a much bigger island, and all the animals were ruled by the Queen. Spider Wasp. There were large lakes scattered all across the land. The coquíes were native frogs beloved by residents for their curious call, “ko-kee,” and were at that time mostly your average frogs. They had bulging eyes and a throat like a balloon; they had webbed fingers and toes and would swim and lounge among the reeds, eating snails, flies, and spiders just like any old amphibian. It was a successful species, numbering in the many, many millions. Unfortunately for the coquíes, predators found them absolutely delicious. Their musical “ko-kee”sound was irresistible in particular to Merlin, the pigeon hawk, and Jardin, the snake. Merlin would hunt coquíes from above all day long, stuffing himself from sunrise to sunset. Then as darkness drew over the island like a blanket, Jardin would stalk coquíes on the ground throughout the night. For a long time the predators’ unquenchable appetite for the coquíes was of little concern, as there were plenty of them to go around. That is until one day, when there were only six coquíes left! The Queen Spider Wasp came to the coquíes’ aid. She could not forbid Merlin and Jardin to hunt the coquíes—they were only satisfying their hunger after all—but she could make the coquíes more difficult to catch. With a twitch of her spectacular orange wing tips, she shrank the coquíes tenfold, removing the webbing between their fingers and toes and replacing it with small, sticky pads. In an instant, the defenseless ground dwellers became a new breed of tree frog. The coquíes climbed to the tip-top of the rainforest canopy, well hidden from Merlin and too high for Jardin to reach. They thrived and multiplied, and they make their homes there to this day. Although . . . The memory of the coquíes’ sweet taste is still passed down among the predators, such that occasionally, a young pigeon hawk will dive, or a young snake will climb, into the rainforest canopy in search of that legendary snack. Then the clever little coquíes leap into the air all at once, so light that they float down to the ground and escape. Even now the natives of Puerto Rico speak often of the strange weather in the El Yunque rainforest, where it is known to rain frogs!

Passage #2

A Letter Home

Dear Papá, I am having a wonderful time at Tía Luisa’s house here in Puerto Rico. In the morning before it gets too hot, I go for a walk in the El Yunque rainforest. From my room I can see the proud peaks of the Luquillo Mountains in the distance, which look like they are covered in dark green velvet. There is so much delicious food to eat. Tía makes me fish soup with surullitos—her fried cornmeal pieces—every week. Please don’t tell Mamá I said so, but it might be the best thing I have ever eaten! I did not sleep well the first few weeks I was here, though it had nothing to do with any lack of comfort in Tía’s warm and tidy little house. Remember the tree frogs you used to tell me about when I was little? It was the sound of the coquíes calling to each other all night long that kept me awake. At home, our ordinary bullfrog with its indifferent “ribbit” is easy to tune out. But the coquíes! Have

you ever noticed, Papá, how the tone of their call, “ko-kee,” goes up at the end, as though they are asking a question? All night long I hear “Ko-kee? Ko-kee? Ko-kee?” as if they mean to keep me mindful of all that is uncertain in my young life. “Who are you, Juanita? What will you be? Ko-kee? Ko-kee? Ko-kee?”I know I must leave soon, and I will be so very glad to see you and Mamá again! But I believe I will bring home a recording of the coquíes to help me fall asleep. I have a strange feeling that now that I’ve grown used to them, I won’t be able to sleep without hearing their song—without the good dreams their endless questions bring to me.

Love,
Juanita

Based on the description of the coquíes in both passages, write a story from the snake Jardin’s point of view. Begin your story where “Froggy Weather” ends.
Use details, dialogue, and description to develop your story.