The Kueka Stone

About the Book

Sewa, a young and brave Pemon Indian, lives in a small village in the Amazon. There, strange things have been happening, and there is a rumor that white men are coming to take one of the Kueka stones way. These are a pair of sacred pink jasper stones, quite big and beautiful; they have magical powers, overseeing the order and balance in the land and among our animal species. When the white men do indeed take the Kueka Grandmother away, there is a great storm, and then a fire rages through the forest. Sewa’s grandfather, who teaches young members of the tribe about their traditions and about respecting the jungle and all living things, tells him that Tuenkaron, the soul of the waters, is punishing them for the loss of the Kueka Grandmother and the magical projection of the stones. So Sewa must set out on a journey to find the missing stone and return it to his people—before it’s too late. Inspired by true events, this children’s story follows a courageous Pemon Indian boy as he travels from his village in the Venezuelan Amazon to retrieve a stolen sacred stone.

About the Author

Irene Walshe has been writing since she was very young and lived in Venezuela for most of her adult life, collaborating on articles for local newspapers. In 1993 she helped organize the First National Literary Assembly Mercedes Bermúdez de Belloso. Her first children’s poetry book, Para Cantar y Jugar, was published in 1999 by the local government and distributed in public schools in her hometown, and she has written several other children’s books since then.