Reading Lists

Below you will find recommended lists of Caribbean children's and young adult books. The lists were compiled by Summer Edward and may be copied for educational purposes provided that you cite us as the source. Please note that these are not exhaustive lists.

Our subject-specific book lists can be found here.


Suggested Reading List: Kids

• A Caribbean Dozen: Poems from Caribbean Poets. Edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols. Candlewick Press.
• A Caribbean Journey from A to Y. By Mario Picayo. Campanita Books.
• Ackee, Breadfruit, Callaloo. By Valerie Bloom. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Act of God: A Collection of Caribbean Short Stories. Compiled and edited by Undine Giuseppi. Macmillan Caribbean.
• All the Way to Havana. By Margarita Engle. Henry Holt and Co.
• Anansesem: A Collection of Folk Tales, Legends and Poems for Juniors. By Velma Pollard. Carlong Publishers.
• Anansi the Spider Man. By Philip Sherlock. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Backfire: A Collection of Caribbean Short Stories. Compiled and edited by Undine & Neville Giuseppi. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Blue Mountain Trouble. By Martin Mordecai. Arthur A. Levine Books.
• Caribbean Folk Tales & Fantasies. By Michael Anthony. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Caribbean Indian Folktales. Collected by Kumar Mahabir. Chakra Publishing House.
• Caribs and Arawaks. By Paula Sorhaindo. Addison Wesley Longman Ltd.
• Children of the Sun. By Jan Carew. Little, Brown & Co.
• Climbing Clouds: Stories and Poems from the Bahamas. By Edited by Telcine Turner. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Coconut Kind of Day: Island Poems. By Lynn Joseph. Puffin Books.
• Come On Into My Tropical Garden. By Grace Nichols. Lippincott.
• Constantine Goes to School. By Nancy Rogers Yaeger. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Cricket Ball In The Sky: A Classic Collection of Barbadian Writing and Rhythms for Children of All Ages. By various. Foundation Publishing of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados.
• Dancing Nude in the Moonlight. By Joanne C. Hillhouse. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Down By The River: Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games, and Songs for Children. By Grace Hallworth. Scholastic Press.
• Ears & Tails & Common Sense: More Stories from the Caribbean. By Philip Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Fish for the Grand Lady. By Colin Bootman. Holiday House.
• Fruits: A Caribbean Counting Book. By Valerie Boom. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories. By Geoffrey Philp. Mabrak Books.
• Grommit the Vulture. By Andy Campbell. Macmillan Caribbean.
• How Alligators Got Rough Skin. By Lynette Comissiong. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Ibis Stew! Oh, No! By Joanne Gail Johnson. Macmillan Caribbean.
• J is for Jamaica. By Benjamin Zephaniah. Frances Lincoln Children's Books.
• Jump Up Time: A Trinidad Carnival Story. By Lynn Joseph. Clarion Books.
• In A Tree Trunk's Hand: Poems & Stories by Barbadian Children. By various. Foundation Publishing of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados.
• I Have A News: Rhymes From the Caribbean. Edited by Neil Philip. Albion Press.
• Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian Folk Tales in the Oral Tradition. Collected by A. Maharaj. Indian Review Committee.
• In the Land of the Shak Shak Tree. By Jade Small. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Legend of the St. Ann's Flood. By Debbie Jacobs. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Leroy the Lobster. By Katherine Orr. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Lola Tortola: Caribbean Limericks. By Molly Manley. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Mama, Across the Sea. By Alex Godard. Henry Holt and Co.
• Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation. By Edwidge Danticat. Dial Books.
• Mauby and the Hurricane. By Peter Laurie. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Mauby's Big Adventure. By Peter Laurie. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Me and Max. By Jason Cole. Brightwater Press.
• Miri and the Magic Door. By Juliet Barclay. Macmillan Caribbean.
• NIFCA Winning Words: The Children's Anthology. By various. Foundation Publishing of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados.
• No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock. Edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols. Puffin Books.
• Once Below a Time: Bahamian Stories. Edited by Telcine Turner. Macmillan Caribbean.
• One Smiling Grandma: A Caribbean Counting Book. By Ann Marie Linden. Heinemann Young Books.
• One White Sail: A Caribbean Counting Book. By S.T. Garne. Harcourt, Brace and Company.
• Paulana and Tanako. By Paula Sorhaindo. Addison Wesley Longman Ltd.
• Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series. By various. Carlong Publishers.
• Shadows on the Moon: A Lizard and Bungle Adventure. By Jolyon Byerley. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Shelley. By Katherine Orr. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Tales of Makonaima’s Children. By Henry Josiah. Roraima Publishers.
• Tarik and the Island of Adventure. By Lee Kessell. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Telling Tales from St. Lucia. By Nahdjla Bailey. Caribbean Chapters.
• The Boy from Willow Bend. By Joanne C. Hillhouse. Macmillan Caribbean.
• The Donkey and the Racehorse. By Joanne Johnson. Macmillan Caribbean.
• The Illustrated Anansi: Four Caribbean Folk Tales. By Philip Sherlock. Macmillan Caribbean.
• The Little Island. By Frané Lessac. Macmillan Caribbean.
• The Parrots and Papa Bois. By Lynette Comissiong. Macmillan Caribbean
• The Secret Footprints. By Julia Alvarez. Dragonfly Books.
• Treasure House: Caribbean Anthologies (Books 1 and 2), Compiled and Edited by Veronica Simon and Barbara Applin. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Under the Moon and Over the Sea: A Collection of Caribbean Poems. Edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols. Candlewick Press.
• West Indian Folktales. By Philip M. Sherlock. Oxford University Press.
• When I Dance. By James Berry. Harcourt Children’s Books.
• Would You Please Fetch Me a Pail? By June Stoute. Wordways Caribbean.
• Zebo Nooloo Chinoo: A Caribbean Folktale. By Lynette Comissiong. Macmillan Caribbean.


Suggested Reading List: Young Adults/Teens 

• A Fierce and Subtle Poison. By Samantha Mabry. Blue Moon.
• A Girl Named Nina. By Norma Tamayo. Algonquin Young Readers.
• American Street. By Ibi Zoboi. HarperCollins.
• Aunt Jen. By Paulette Ramsay. Heinemann.
• Before We Were Free. By Julia Alvarez. Laurel Leaf.
• Beka Lamb. By Zee Edgell. Heinemann.
• Children of the Spider. By Imam Baksh. Blue Moon.
• Crick Crack, Monkey. By Merle Hodge. Heinemann.
• Cricket in the Road. By Michael Anthony. Heinemann.
• Dancing in the Rain. By Lynn Joseph. Blue Moon.
• Earth's Waters. By Nicole Blades. DC Books.
• Fire in the Canes. By Glenville Lovell. Soho Press.
• Fitting In. By Anilu Bernando. Pinata Books.
• Flowers in the Sky. By Lynn Joseph. HarperTeen.
• Frangipani House. By Beryl Gilroy. Heinemann.
• Gone to Drift. By Diana McCaulay. Papillote Press.
• Green Days by the River. By Michael Anthony. Heinemann.
• Harriet's Daughter. By Marlene Nourbese Philip. Heinemann.
• Island Fiction: Delroy in the Marog Kingdom. By Billy Elm. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Island Fiction: Escape from Silk Cotton Forest. By Francis Escayg. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Island Fiction: Legend of the Swan Children. By Maureen Marks-Mendonca. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Island Fiction: Night of the Indigo. By Michael Holgate. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Island Fiction: The Chalice Project. By Lisa Allen-Agostini. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Island Fiction: Time Swimmer. By GeraldHausman. Macmillan Caribbean.
• Musical Youth. By Joanne C. Hillhouse. CaribbeanReads.
• Pick of the Crop: A Novella. By Nailah Folami Imoja. Heinemann.
• Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal. By Margarita Engle. HMH Books for Young Readers.
• Songs of Silence. By Curdella Forbes. Heinemann.
• Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti . By Frances Temple. HarperTeen.
• The Year in San Fernando. By Michael Anthony. Heinemann.
• To Sir, With Love. By E.R. Braithwaite. New Windmills.
• Untwine. By Edwidge Danticat. Scholastic.