Introducing the Anansesem Starred Review (Giving Caribbean Books For Young People The Reviews They Deserve)

The following is the foreword to the May 2018 issue by Summer Edward, Anansesem's editor-in-chief.



Why Do Book Reviews Matter?

Putting together our May 2018 Special Issue devoted to book reviews made me think a lot about the function and state of the book review. Technologically-driven changes in reader habits, the end of book review sections in newspapers, and the frantic pace/massive scale of modern-day book production have caused many to declare the book review (and literary criticism more broadly) dead, but clearly, from both commercial and reader standpoints, there's still value to the work that book reviewers do.

On the most basic level, reviews help people discover and choose books. Booksellers and librarians rely on reviews to decide which books to stock their shelves with. Teachers read reviews to figure out which books to teach in the classroom. Parents and caregivers read reviews to decide if they'll buy a particular book for their child. Book reviews set the tone for how a book and its author are received by the reading public and industry gatekeepers alike. Reviews are publicized even before a book is published and they affect how many orders of the book are placed. A review can make or break a book.


What is a Starred Review?

Pre-publication, as a matter of course, authors and publishers send advanced review copies of books not only to reviewing websites like Allreaders.com and BookPage.com, but also to the everyday readers (known as "book bloggers") who review books on their blogs. Or they pay trusted and reputable reviewing services to review their books and wait with bated breath to see whether these reviewing services approve of, and thus recommend, the book or not.

Sometimes, for a very small percentage of books, recommendation comes in the form of a starred review—often simply called 'a Star'—considered one of the high watermarks of literary praise. A Star is a marker of the most exceptional books as determined by experienced industry professionals with extensive knowledge of publishing trends and deep critical appreciation of writing and (in the case of children's books) illustration. As a selling point, publishers are known to emblazon starred review blurbs on the covers of books. Understandably, starred books are typically the ones that get the best visual merchandising in bookstores and accrue the most prestige within literary culture. A starred review can even translate into more sales, particularly if a book has received multiple starred reviews.


The Problem with Book Reviewing Culture

• Currently, the most influential (by industry standards) reviews of children's and young adult (CYA) books in the English-speaking world are done by a cadre of respected, authoritative children's/YA book review outlets in "First World" nations: CM: Canadian Review of Materials and Quill & Quire in Canada; Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books in the USA; Reading Time in Australia; and Inis Magazine in Ireland. These outlets don't just review books written by authors in the countries where they are based; they also review books by authors from other English-speaking countries. Since their founding, the above-listed review outlets have reviewed a significant number of Caribbean CYA books.
  
  
• Over the past few years, we've read and studied the reviews of Caribbean CYA books published by the above-listed review outlets and, in consultation with Anansesem's advisers and confirmed by the many Caribbean authors/readers of CYA books we've spoken to, we've determined conclusively that the aforementioned review outlets don't do an adequate job of reviewing Caribbean CYA books. Often, their reviews of Caribbean CYA books contain assessments, assumptions and oversights that are problematic to discerning Caribbean readers, and we've also detected frequent instances of cross-cultural insensitivity in the form of wording issues. These review outlets have too frequently endorsed, praised, and starred books depicting Caribbean communities, and written by non-Caribbean authors, that Caribbean people ourselves find highly problematic from a socio-cultural or linguistic standpoint. We understand that historically, these reviews of Caribbean CYA books have been written by cultural outsiders, and so understandably, the reviews are often marred by limitations of knowledge, insight and cultural sensitivity regarding the nuances, urgencies, idiosyncracies and significations of Caribbean lived experience.
  
  
• The very nature of literary criticism is that a critic has the right to write whatever they want about a book, however the huge power imbalance in CYA book reviewing means that historically privileged groups have long been able to dominate, and thus control, critical responses to literature by or depicting marginalized groups. The fact is that the cadre of respected review outlets listed above, from a position of "First World" dominance, exert far-reaching influence on global literary culture and the reading public. Because of their stature, their reviews of Caribbean CYA books, however problematic, are likely to be seen as credible and authoritative, even indisputable. One of the many ways cultural and racial bias manifests in CYA literature is the normalization of, and deference to critical work done, and literary gold standards set, by historically privileged groups.
  
  
• We, along with many others, have noted the serious problems associated with this power imbalance in book reviewing. The inability (or unwillingness) of reviewers from historically privileged groups to detect, call out, and effectively comment on culturally offensive, racist, xenophobic, colonialist stereotypes and narratives (in books) that negatively affect historically disadvantaged groups has been long discussed all over the Internet and in various other fora. Literature is a powerful force in society, and critics/reviewers must be called to task for the role they play in popularizing and normalizing books that misrepresent, or deny the humanity of, marginalized peoples.

Why We're Introducing the Anansesem Starred Review

• Nathan Heller argues in The New Yorker that book reviewing must remain a personal enterprise, that book reviewers should have the "critical autonomy" to make sense of a literary work however they want to...even if it means ignoring the dimensions of the work that are problematic for, or harmful to, historically marginalized communities. As Caribbean readers and critics, we understand this critical autonomy to belong as fully to us as to anyone else. So, we have the right to give a "bad review" of reviews and reviewers that do a disservice to our humanity, or that further marginalize us. We have the added assurance of knowing that the Caribbean literary critic is a far superior reader of Caribbean experience than the "First World" critic in a far-off metropolis, who operates from behind the smokescreen of personal autonomy.
  
  Anansesem's editors, along with the many Caribbean authors and academics who have advised us over the years, believe local (i.e., stemming from within Caribbean communities) control of literary criticism matters exceedingly for the advancement of Caribbean CYA literature. Clearly, book reviews that do an adequate job of contextualizing the lives and cultures of marginalized groups, and engaging with the unique historical-cultural-political concerns of these same groups, are essential in order for the reading public to appreciate and understand the stories, voices and points of view of historically marginalized communities, as inscribed in books. Culturally-grounded reviews will help move Caribbean CYA literature forward by giving readers better, more nuanced, culturally authoritative information to help them discover, choose and think critically about CYA books that depict Caribbean places and people. Critical standards set by a respected Caribbean professional authority are also essential in order to put Caribbean CYA literature on its own pedestal. Caribbean CYA authors and illustrators should be able to rely on our own systems of literary merit for one of the most recognizable markers of literary distinction— the starred review.

Who Determines Whether a Book Earns the Anansesem Star?

• We guarantee that every book reviewed in Anansesem will be read and assessed by qualified Caribbean book reviewers (i.e., CYA book industry/literature professionals) and editors whose identity, knowledge and concerns are shaped by and grounded in Caribbean experience. Our culturally qualified editors and reviewers will work closely together to decide if a book will receive a Star, but the final decision will rest with our editors. Books of all genres will be eligible for the Anansesem Star.

Our first ever set of starred reviews has been announced in our May 2018 issue here. Below are official images of the Anansesem Star that publishers and authors can download and use on their websites (Note: the different colors do not represent different levels of merit; we've simply provided different designs to choose from.) We are excited about this next stage in Anansesem's evolution and welcome feedback as always.

About the Author

Summer Edward is the Editor-in-Chief here at Anansesem. Her writing and art have been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her home on the web is www.summeredward.com.

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[Book Review] Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay

Diana McCaulay (Author)
Papillote Press, 2016
YA novel, ages 12 and up

The young adult novel Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay presents the story of how truth is discovered through losses. Lloyd is a twelve-year-old Jamaican boy who loves his grandfather Maas Conrad. It has been two weeks since his grandfather left for a fishing expedition to Pedro Cays and while all the people in the community know there is something preventing Maas Conrad's return, only Lloyd is willing to find out the true reason. 

Lloyd defies all odds to discover the mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance at sea, despite warnings from the adults that Maas Conrad may be gone for good. It is through this journey that the reader discovers the tangled lies that surround Lloyd’s family as he races against time to rescue his grandfather. The story is set in Jamaica, juxtaposing the richness of the Caribbean milieu with the universality of the challenges our globalized societies face. 

The story unravels the events that led to Maas Conrad's disappearance in multiple voice narrative. The main narrative is told in third person point of view. It gives the reader a macroscopic view of the issues that lead to Maas Conrad's disappearance while fishing in Pedro Cays. Lloyd's quest to rescue Maas Conrad takes center stage while the discoveries of what really happened in this community unfolds through this point of view.

The story periodically switches to Maas Conrad's first person voice as he battles against the challenges of being stranded on a solitary island without water or food, and with an injury. This microscopic perspective opens the Caribbean world of Maas Conrad: his ancestral beliefs and the transformation his island has undergone due to illegal fishing, pollution and the tourist trade. Both narratives merge to give a richness of perspectives, ultimately suggesting that not only Maas Conrad has “gone to drift,” but many of the adults who are supposed to be guiding Lloyd into adulthood.

The livelihood of fishing is at the heart of Lloyd's community. His grandfather is a fisherman who comes from a long line of fishermen, each of whom experienced his people’s growing indifference to nature and the tragic consequences of such. Fishing reserves have been depleted causing a disruption in the economic stability of the community. Vernon Saunders, Lloyd's father, has not followed the fishermen's footsteps but has “gone to drift” in many ways, from abandoning his family to his collaboration in illegal dolphin fishing practices that go against moral values. 

While the disappearance of Maas Conrad is the core of the plot of this novel, it is only the tip of the iceberg considering the complexity of the societal and environmental problems facing his community, and by extension the world. The illegal traffic of dolphins is not a situation unique to the Caribbean, but a global issue with serious implications. The individual’s quest for economic survival leads to morally and legally questionable decisions. Lloyd ends up in the middle of this battle and learns that many of the people he believed to be respectable hold secrets. The world as he knew it crumbles into dust as he tries to figure out what is really true. 

The novel is a bildungsroman of our contemporary world. It is through the unveiling of painful truths─ about his parents, his community and his world─ that Lloyd is able to find the answers he is seeking. The story poses moral questions to the reader that are not easy to answer. Can an immoral decision be justified in the name of human survival? This is the question that is interwoven throughout the story as Lloyd meets the different characters that give him the missing pieces to the puzzle of Maas Conrad's disappearance. Through the eyes and worlds of Jules, Black Crab, Lloyd's mother, Vernon Saunders and Slowly, both Lloyd and the reader discover that the world is full of shades of gray. At the same time, the voice of Maas Conrad provides depth and wisdom for understanding how past events shape the world we live in.

As an educator, I celebrate the portrayal of the love between a grandchild and grandparent. In contemporary life, grandparents have had to break away from paradigms imposed by Western society. Many of our grandparents have very active roles in raising and protecting their grandchildren. These roles have been silenced for too long. It is time that literary works show how grandparents' legacies shape the roles the new generations undertake. Maas Conrad is the anchor and compass in Lloyd Saunders' life, guiding him into a world of truth.

Gone to Drift is a beautiful and profound realistic fiction novel full of suspense that keeps the reader turning pages to discover the cause of Maas Conrad's disappearance. At the same time, the ending leaves the reader in a labyrinth of emotions, wondering how Lloyd will now face his world. Lloyd understands that the price he paid to discover the truth is the loss of the world he once knew. The novel, which was the second prize winner of CODE's Burt Award for Caribbean Literature in 2015, is an ideal literary work for young adult readers to see that life is full of ambiguities and that the power of love can overcome what can appear to be insurmountable obstacles. Lloyd's determination showed how true love can be the strongest weapon of all.

About the Author

Dr. Carmen Milagros-Torres is an Associate Editor here at Anansesem. She is an English professor who teaches Children’s Literature (INGL 4326) and Literature for Adolescents (INGL 4327) at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her articles on Puerto Rican children’s literature have appeared in Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature, PRTESOLGram and Caribbean Without Borders: Beyond the Can[n]on’s Range (Cambridge Scholars Publishing). She has presented her research on Afro-Puerto Rican children’s literature at various conferences and sits on the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican English Writers Association.

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[Book Review] Dancing in the Rain by John Lyons

John Lyons (Author), John Lyons (Illustrator)
Peepal Tree Press, 2015
Poetry collection, ages 9 and up

Dancing in the Rain, a collection of poems for children by John Lyons, moves readers through a plethora of sensory details and experiences associated with the world of the child. Through a thematic focus on the art of dancing, which is maintained throughout the entire collection, Lyons presents a series of childhood events and encounters with the Caribbean’s natural and supernatural worlds.

The culture, customs and landscape of Trinidad and Tobago are used as a frame to position the world of the child, but the world of the imagination, as captured through a creative display of sights, sounds, tastes and emotion, can be appreciated by children across the globe.

The poems are organized based on different aspects of Trinbagonian identity and culture, and celebrate and inscribe particular historical traditions and legacies of the Caribbean experience.

The poems can therefore be placed in various categories. There are poems about foods indigenous to Trinidad and/or the Caribbean like the Gru-Gru Bef, the mango, and the sour-tasting hog plum; poems featuring supernatural or mythical figures in Trinbagonian folklore; poems which zoom in on very simple childhood episodes; poems which celebrate the Trinbagonian landscape; poems about animals; and poems about popular cultural events in Trinidad and Tobago, such as Carnival.

By using these focal points, Lyons attempts to insert that which is usually overlooked, unappreciated or barely recognized. By centring these cultural aspects, Lyons offers Caribbean children a moment to experience and celebrate their identities and cultures. At the same time, the situations and emotional texture of each poem encourage the use of the imagination and zoom in on the universal experiences of children from multiple backgrounds. 

The symbolic use of the well-known Trinidadian Carnival, such as in the opening poem ‘Carnival Jumbie’ helps to convey freedom and happiness, and the child’s identity is affirmed through her participation in the event. Through this opening poem, Lyons provides the young reader with important historical details but lightens the burden of this history through the use of humour and the poem’s scintillating dance-invoking rhythm. For example, after evoking important symbols like the silk cotton tree (which invokes the memory of slavery), and the need to acknowledge ancestral spirits, the poem shifts to focus on the Jumbie anxiously anticipating jouvay and “steelban music to breakaway,”

The idea of freedom pervades the collection. In the poem ‘Carnival Dance Lesson’, the self-confident voice of the child persona, who insists that “you can dance like me”, demonstrates the empowerment the child receives through this cultural event in which all children can “have some fun”. Freedom is also effectively characterized by a carefree sense of play which allows the child to both witness and experience the Caribbean landscape, whether through the imagination or by being physically present in this space. The concept of play is strongly present throughout the collection. The poems not only capture the playful trait of the child, but also celebrate it as playing a major role in the child’s experience of freedom.

The very title, Dancing in the Rain, encapsulates the notion of freedom. One of the significant messages Lyons seems to be sending is the idea that the child’s experience of happiness is dependent on how free he is able to feel as he journeys through life. This freedom is largely represented through the childlike sensibility and sense of imagination which run throughout the poems. Rain, which is certainly not typical of Caribbean weather outside of particular rainy seasons, is usually used to signify some kind of sadness or tumult. The child’s perception of rain however, is somewhat different from the adult view of it, and Lyons artfully employs this perception as a kind of blueprint through which to see the world he has constructed. The child’s perspective provides an untainted perspective of the world and establishes an outlook which sees all things as possible.

In the book’s eponymous poem, ‘Dancing in the Rain’, it is the “warm rain” that causes the children to “squeal”, although the rain “stings”. The rain brings turbulence to the natural flow of life: the clothes have to be taken off the line, the “yard cocks” have to seek shelter and the “charcoal black” sky darkens the atmosphere. Yet, the children welcome the opportunity to “pull off [their] clothes” and dance in the rain. The idea of dancing in the rain is therefore a metaphor for finding enjoyment and using movement to produce joy, even in times when the “brightness” of the sun is not present.

Music offers a means of escape from stagnancy or rigidity, and the poems are suffused with a sense of the musical. Music is depicted as being a part of the poetic, but is also seen as an alternative mode of expression which encourages the act and art of dancing, and enables an intermingling of worlds. Melody allows for greater expression and breaks through barriers which words are unable to conquer. In the poem ‘Prankish Gnome’, for example, it is “the music of garden bird” which allows the child to envision the “gnome” in the garden “dancing happily among the stars.”

Lyons consistently presents two main conflicting forces: oppression and freedom. Through the juxtaposition of these two forces, the poet effectively pulls together varied layers of the child’s experience, and the diverse realities that have impacted or shaped the different worlds the child inhabits. At the start of the collection, Lyons establishes this image of freedom through the poem ‘Carnvial Jumbie’ which instantly pulls the reader into the musical world of Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso culture. This poem sets the tone for the collection because it introduces the idea that freedom occurs through movement, through action, and through dance. The calypso tune ─ “Jumbie jump high/Jumbie jump low/Jumbie jumpin to calypso...”─ is easily accessible to the reader through its rhythmic patterns. The alliterative phrases and the short-structured lines help to stimulate the interest of the young reader who finds herself quickly pulled into an irresistible melody.

Calypso, as a distinct musical form inherent in the structure of the poems, becomes a kind of language through which the child is able to communicate with all that is non-human, including ghosts and animals. Its presence helps to induce this sense of the fantastical in poems like ‘Woopsie’ and the ‘Agouti Story’, where the persona is able to connect with the animal and spirit worlds through the influence of the calypso. Literary sound devices such as assonance, onomatopoeia, and alliteration are used to maintain the rhythmic patterns in many of the poems. Various sounds associated with the Caribbean experience are also used to establish a sense of the musical. There are the animal sounds in poems such as ‘The Pig’s Boast’ and ‘Fowl Play’; sounds from the landscape that are created through the “tiptoe” movement “among dry bramble” in ‘Looking for Douennes’; or sounds associated with the imaginary, mythical world when the child persona hears the “nosily”, “rattling” bones of ‘The Climbing Skeleton.’

The motif of movement established in many of the poems is also deeply connected to the presentation of childhood experiences in the journey of the child. Through this motif, Lyons demonstrates the myriad ways in which dancing can be seen as moving: when “yuh…wine wid de riddum”; through the cut-loose movement of the fowl character in the animal, tale-based poem ‘Fowl Play’; through the “prancing” of the “prankish ghosts” in ‘Looking for Douennes’, and through the “candleflies moving about/lighting up and going out” in ‘Tadpole Comets’. Movement as dancing is also apparent in the personification of the willow and the wind in the poem ‘Natural Dancing Partners’ and even the beating heart of the child is described as dancing “wildly” in ‘Agouti Story.’

This motif of movement also appropriately reflects another common trait of the child, which presents itself both mentally and physically – children are always on the move. As is evident in the poem ‘Betty’s Breakfast’, where the child persona poses question after question to her mother regarding the chicken and egg cycle, the mind of the child is always racing with a sense of curiosity. Lyons captures this swift movement through his use of multiple rhythmic patterns. He shifts back and forth between a range of poetic forms, including the couplet, the triplet and the tercet, providing a lively set of rhythmic beats which imitate the fast-paced, fun-loving, adventurous nature of the child. Lyons honours this and other characteristics of childhood by using them as the nucleus for the situations presented.

The poems in Dancing in the Rain seem to be constructed through a set of ideas which centre on three main themes: continuity, sustainability, and inclusivity. A sense of continuity shines through in those poems that have an overt traditional or historical focus, which allows the reader to learn about Trinbagonian and/or Caribbean culture. The child is positioned as the agent of preservation. It is often the child persona, therefore, who not only introduces the various folkloric aspects and legacies of the culture, but who also helps to sustain them through the use of her imagination and his untainted mindset. Children are open to that which is different and that which might not be considered normal, therefore, they are more willing than adults to embrace and pass on the sense of identity presented in the “strange stor[ies]” and “strange music” being offered through the poems.

The idea of sustainability is invoked through the art form of storytelling which the child or animal persona in each poem uses to create and reinforce a sense of identity for both the individual and community. Finally, inclusivity is underlined through the poems’ focus on various forms of existence, including the human, animal and spirit worlds; elements of the physical landscape; and the folkloric presence in Caribbean culture. Continuity, sustainability and inclusivity become outcomes of childlike freedom, and interestingly enough, each of these factors also helps to preserve the freedom of the child and subsequently, the society.

Shortlisted for the CLPE Poetry Award (CLiPPA), this new collection of poems by John Lyons will certainly allow children to discover and affirm their personal and cultural identities as they learn to ‘dance in the rain.’

About the Author

Dr. Aisha Spencer is a lecturer in Language and Literature Education in the School of Education at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, in Kingston, Jamaica. She has lectured in the area of children’s literature, is a Caribbean children’s literature advisor for Lantana Publishing, has worked closely with Caribbean children’s authors over the years and has written articles and reviews on Caribbean children’s texts. She has been teaching language and literature for over eighteen years and is especially passionate about finding innovative material and pedagogy to help children and youth better connect with and enjoy all genres of literature. Her current research projects focus on analysing and evaluating children’s responses to literature in both elementary and secondary institutions across the Caribbean.

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[Book Review] Malaika's Costume by Nadia L. Hohn

Nadia L. Hohn (Author), Irene Luxbacher (Illustrator)
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2016
Picturebook, ages 3-7 years

Jamaican-Canadian author Nadia L. Hohn’s picturebook debut, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher, is a welcome addition to Caribbean children’s literature. Set in Trinidad, the story begins with Malaika confronted by an experience common to many children– feeling left out. Unlike her friends, she is without a costume for the Kiddies Carnival. To make matters worse, her mother is away in Canada and hasn’t sent the money for the costume of her dreams.

Malaika becomes more upset when Granny tries to make amends by offering her a costume she herself wore as a child. She runs off to pout, but cheers up when she has an idea to use what she has to make something new. This is considered, especially by older folks, to be a commendable skill. Her efforts are successful and she is able to take part in the Carnival.

The charm of this story lies as much in how it is told as in the plot. Malaika’s narrative, in the present tense, slips from “Standard English” (“I am a beautiful peacock. Each feather shimmers – green, gold, turquoise and brown.”) to dialect (“Carnival soon come and everyone getting their costume ready”) in the way that children’s speech does. The story flows with rhythm and melody, making it a joy to read. Luxbacher’s illustrations in vibrant colour capture the warmth of Trinidad and the excitement of Carnival.

Listed for 3 to 7-year-olds, the book would be ideal for reading aloud to younger children at home or school. Strong readers in grade two should be able to read it on their own. A short glossary explains the meaning of uncommon words and the names of the traditional Carnival masquerade characters played by Malaika’s friends: Jab Molassie, an acrobatic devil; Moko Jumbie, a stilt walker; and Pierrot, who carries a pistol or a whip. These characters are also illustrated. Even children who are already familiar with these masquerade characters would benefit from having more background information about Trinidad and Carnival. Parents and teachers would need to provide this from their own knowledge or research.

It is important for children to see themselves in books– their physical likenesses, their immediate everyday experiences and surroundings, their culture and their speech. This reflection of themselves helps them to see their place in society and develop self-esteem. However, the diversity of the Caribbean presents a dilemma. Even among the English-speaking Caribbean countries there are ethnic and cultural differences. Children are usually only familiar with the folklore and traditions of their own country. In Malaika’s Costume, most Caribbean children would see their physical likenesses in the illustrations, and be familiar with the notion of a mother leaving her child with grandparents to seek work abroad, but Kiddies Carnival and the masquerade characters are culturally specific to Trinidad and Tobago. Nonetheless, the story provides for other children a useful introduction to a study of their Caribbean neighbours.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for home and class libraries in primary schools, and for kindergartens and basic schools. For children of Caribbean descent who were born overseas, and for parents seeking multicultural books for their children, it is an entertaining introduction to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. For those of us who like to give books, not toys, as Christmas presents, we need look no further than Malaika’s Costume.

About the Author

Helen Williams graduated from Oxford University and then embarked on a teaching career, thirty-four years of which were spent in Jamaica. Since retiring, she has taken up writing adventure and fantasy stories for children. Her short story “Finding My Roots” was published in Tony Bradman’s anthology, All in the Family in 2008 and her short story, "Flash", won a silver medal and an award for Best Junior Short Story in the 2010 JCDC’s Creative Writing Contest. She is the author of Delroy in the Marog Kingdom (Macmillan Caribbean, 2009), a chapter book in the Island Fiction Series, written under the penname Billy Elm; Errol's Taxi (Pearson Education, 2013); and Princess, a self-published e-book which won a bronze medal and an award for the Best Intermediate Novelist in the 2011 JCDC Creative Writing Contest. She lives in Jamaica.

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Review: Drummer Boy of John John by Mark Greenwood

Mark Greenwood (Author), Frané Lessac (Illustrator)
Lee and Low Books
Picture book/biography, ages 3-8

It's Carnival time in Trinidad and the residents of John John are busy preparing for the big Carnival parade. When the Roti King announces that he will give free rotis to the best mas band in the parade, young, roti-loving Winston desperately wishes he was in a band. Wandering into the junkyard one day, Winston accidentally discovers that he can produce musical sounds from old discarded containers― biscuit tins, oil cans, pots, and pans. Winston's musical prowess soon draws a following and a band is formed. Using their freshly fashioned instruments, they steal the show at the Carnival parade and drum their way to a roti feast to be remembered.

Greenwood's writing in Drummer Boy of John John strikes a pleasant note; the story is deftly and exuberantly told. In the junkyard scene and subsequent pages, Winston's discovery of the musical potential of the discarded containers is given abundant onomatopoeic treatment; a read-aloud of this book is sure to inspire a fun element of musical performance. The use of the phonetic representation "de" to convey a Trinidadian Creole pronunciation of the word "the" is unnecessary for Caribbean readers and will probably be appreciated more by a non-Caribbean audience.

Lessac's illustrations are executed in her trademark style; colorful goucahe paintings and flowing lines capture the freedom and movement of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Lessac's rendering of Trinidad Carnival costumes will not ring true with contemporary Trinidadian readers, but it is worthwhile to remember that the story takes place in 1930s Trinidad; even so, the depiction of Carnival costumes in the book lacks cultural authenticity, as does the pastoralization of the inner city neighborhood of John John.

The character Winston in the story is based on Winston "Spree" Simon, the self-taught Trinidadian instrumentalist who pioneered indigenous steel percussion music, including the steelpan; however, the historical significance of Simon's discovery is not conveyed by the story, rather, that narrative is relegated to the Author's Note at the end of the book. Drummer Boy of John John seems to be more about Winston's triumph in the Roti King competition rather than a true-told story about the invention of the steelpan.

Overall, an enjoyable picturebook valuable for its celebratory treatment of Trinidad Carnival and steelpan music.

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About the Reviewer

Summer Edward was born in Trinidad and lives in Philadelphia, USA. She is the Managing Editor and Kids Editor here at Anansesem. Her poems and art have been published in literary magazines such as tongues of the ocean, BIM: Arts for the 21st Century, Philadelphia Stories, The Columbia Review, The Caribbean Writer, sx salon and more. She was shortlisted for the 2012 Small Axe Literary Prize in the fiction category. She blogs at www.summeredward.com.

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Review: A Coconuts Life for Me

Jonathan de la Rosa (Author and Illustrator)
Paria Publishing
Picture book, ages 4-8

Little Husky is a coconut seed and the "baby" in the Coconutree family. Not yet a fully grown coconut tree, he cannot join in the game of "sway" that his older brother and sisters play so happily. Husky spurns his "coconuts life" and longs for the freedom to stretch his palms and dance in the Caribbean breeze, like the mature coconut trees do. When Husky complains to Mummy Coconutree, she says he is still too small to play "sway"; patience she suggests, is the trick. Daddy Coconutree however, has a different point of view; "What's your hurry, Husky?" he says. With a few gentle reminders, Daddy Coconutree helps Husky to see how just how special and wonderful his "coconuts life" really is.

The writing in Jonathan de la Rosa's children's book debut is promising. This reviewer was a bit confused by the use of the phrase "coconuts life" (as opposed to the syntactically correct "coconut's life"). If de la Rosa was aiming for symbolism or poetic irony through his choice of wording, then he may have missed the mark. A more successful aspect of the narration is the loose rhyming structure that is sustained to the end adding a sing-song quality to the tale. The story is narrated by Husky and the guileless first-person narration works to snag our empathy; children will find it easy to relate to the thoughts and feelings of the earnest little coconut. The selective use of dramatically oversized fonts and rhetorical questions, often taking up entire spreads, conveys the desperation and determination behind Husky's earnest inquiry into the important matter of growing up. Altogether, both the rhyming scheme and the conversational narration lend easily to engaging read-alouds.

The results of Dos Ramos' and de la Rosa' collaboration on the illustrations are not spectacular. The simple, computer-generated art does however underscore the childlike perspective of Husky, the narrator. The playful scenes where Husky finally begins to appreciate the merits of his "coconuts life", turning somersaults in the sand and backstroking in a (delightfully odd) purple ocean, work well to convey the joy and momentousness of Husky's revelation. The illustrations, together with the text, also succeed in creating a lively little character, Husky, who "wears his sleeve on his heart" and who is consequently, rather endearing.

Peppered with wistful and exuberant moments, A Coconuts Life for Me is a simple story that addresses the perhaps universal predicament faced by children at some point or the other, that of wanting to grow up all at once and do "grown up things." Ultimately, the book reminds us that childhood is fleeting and thus precious, something to be enjoyed while it lasts. The message that there are privileges that children enjoy that adults do not will surely appeal to children of all ages. Likely to have a long stay in the "Read it to me again!" pile. Ages 3-6.

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About the Reviewer

Summer Edward was born in Trinidad and Tobago. She is the Managing Editor and Kids Editor here at Anansesem. She lives in Philadelphia, USA.

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Review: The Caribbean Adventure Series

Carol Ottley-Mitchell (Author), Ann-Catherine Loo (illustrator)
CaribbeanReads Publishing
Chapter book, ages 7-10

Was there a General Fraser at the Brimstone Hill fortress in St. Kitts? Did the famous English privateer Admiral Sir Henry Morgan really keep prisoners at Fort Charles in Jamaica? And was there really a pirate called 'Calico Jack' cruising the Jamaica Channel in the eighteenth century? Yes, according to the first two installments in the Caribbean Adventure Series by Carol Ottley-Mitchell. Young readers get a chance to meet these historical figures in their element, seen through the eyes of two boys and a monkey who travel back in time.

In Adventure to Brimstone Hill (Book One), Mark, Ingrid and Kyle go on a class field trip to the old fortification, when Chee Chee the monkey leads Mark and Ingrid down a secret passage. The children find themselves smack in the middle of the 1782 French Invasion of St. Kitts. In the past, they meet General Prescott and the imposing General Fraser, second in command of the British fleet and leader of the garrisoned British, who accuses them of being spies. Fortunately, the children escape persecution when they volunteer to help General Prescott carry a message via whale boat to Admiral Hood aboard the British ship, the Chesapeake. In Pirates at Port Royal (Book Two), Mark and Kyle are visiting Kyle's grandparents in Jamaica when a trip to Fort Charles in Port Royal turns into another adventure in the past. When they try to help a young Venezuelan boy, Andrés, imprisoned for being a stowaway, escape the wrath of Sir Henry Morgan, the children inadvertently find themselves embroiled in the 1668 battle between Henry Morgan and the Spanish Admiral, Don Alonso, at Maracaibo.

In both books, the children eventually find their way back to the present, but not before they play an integral role in changing history. "Even if we really are in the past, everyone knows you are not supposed to change the past," says the know-it-all Ingrid at one point in Adventure to Brimstone Hill. Nevertheless, by warning Admiral Hood of De Grasse's strategy, the children help the British defeat the French, which of course, never really happened. Similarly, in Pirates at Port Royal, it is Kyle who suggests the idea of the fireship that ultimately leads to Morgan's defeat of the Spanish. Indeed, Ottley-Mitchell has crafted her stories with the creative license typical of practiced writers of historical fiction. Parents wary about a book that teaches their children the wrong version of history, will be relieved to know that the author includes a 'What's True and What's Not' historical note at the back of her books.

The Caribbean Adventure Series extends the young reader's understanding of the historical, rather than the popular, figure of the pirate. Young readers might be surprised to find that the pirates in the Caribbean Adventure Series are not the despicable, heartless brutes of the American Blackbeard stories and the Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster movies. Ottley-Mitchell's pirates do not exactly come across as bloodthirsty and swashbuckling; the three children certainly don't find the pirates threatening and seem eager to help them. In fact, Ottley-Mitchell's pirates are somewhat idealized and more could have been done to acknowledge some of the faults of these historical figures.  

Detail from Adventure at Brimstone Hill

The Caribbean Adventure Series is a noteworthy contribution to Caribbean children's literature if only for its cultural authenticity, evident in its attention to the authenticating details of language and everyday life in the Caribbean countries portrayed. For example, Caribbean children will recognize the "Ovaltine biscuits and guava cheese" Mark's mother packs for him to eat on the plane ride to Jamaica, and St. Kittsian children will appreciate the presence and role of vervet monkeys in the Brimstone Hill story. Also, the landscapes of St. Kitts and Jamaica are described accurately, without an iota of romanticization. Not to mention the fact that the author somehow manages to fit a Caribbean history lesson into practically every other paragraph while maintaining the natural flow of the narrative. Ann-Catherine Loo's realistic pencil illustrations are somewhat static but work well with the text and will appeal to readers transitioning from picture books to chapter books.

Finally, Ottley-Mitchell's skill as a story-teller is not to be discounted. The stories hold the reader's attention, the characters are interesting and believable, and both books present well-developed plots. As a historical fiction writer in particular, Ottley-Mitchell is in her element, seamlessly blending fact and fiction, accurately reflecting the beliefs and values of the times, and revealing an understanding of historical events that rivals the practiced historian. Additionally, the time slip device used in both books is well-thought-out and consistent; Chee Chee the monkey seems to be the one who somehow magically opens up the portal to the past. This reviewer found the endings of both books to be slightly abrupt and the stories could have been fleshed out a bit more, but altogether, the Caribbean Adventure Series is a welcome addition to the rather small sample of Caribbean historical fiction for young readers.

It will be interesting to see if pirates will feature repetitively in future books in the series. It would be nice to see Ottley-Mitchell expand her range and explore other aspects of Caribbean history. Reading level: ages 9 and up!

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About the reviewer

Summer Edward is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago. She is the Founder and Managing Editor here at Anansesem, the ezine you're currently reading!

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Review: A Caribbean Journey from A to Y (Read and Discover What Happened to the Z)

Mario Picayo (Author), Earleen Griswold (Illustrator)
Little Bell Caribbean
Picture book, ages 4 and up

In children's literature, it is not hyperbole to say that alphabet books have been used to introduce children to virtually every topic under the sun, from words used in building and construction, to various aspects of farm life, to the names of fictional monsters. Mario Picayo's A Caribbean Journey from A to Y (Read and Discover What Happened to the Z) finds itself then, among a vast crowd of such abecedarian picture books on the international children's market, yet the book distinguishes itself by being one of a handful of contemporary alphabet (trade) books to visually and textually present the sights, sounds and tastes of the Caribbean.

Picayo's book can be rightly grouped with other ABC productions in the small universe of contemporary Caribbean children's trade books -- Frane Lessac's Caribbean Alphabet, Dawne Allette's Caribbean Animals, John Agard's Calypso Alphabet, Benjamin Zephaniah's J is for Jamaica, Dirk McLean's Play Mas'! A Carnival ABC, and Valerie Bloom's Ackee, Breadfruit, Callaloo: An Edible Alphabet. Indeed, A Caribbean Journey does seem to combine a lot of the elements of the previous books: McLean's use of alliterative sentences; Bloom's focus on Caribbean edibles; Allette's appreciation of Caribbean fauna; Agard's inclusion of a map of the Caribbean; and like most of the other books, an appended activity at the back of the book. The illustrations in A Caribbean Journey even resemble the childlike gouaches and vibrant tropical panoramas in Lessac's book. However, far from being a copy-cat version of these earlier titles, A Caribbean Journey is rather, in direct conversation with the other books. It extends the gesture, started with the other books, of creating children's literature that Caribbean children can recognize themselves and their experiences in, while also acknowledging the position and potentialities of Caribbean children's books before an international audience.

Detail: A Caribbean Journey from A to Y

On the international market, so-called "multicultural alphabet books" have often been seen as filling a void in multicultural children's publishing. One of the affordances of the alphabetic book is classification; many children's alphabet books read like subject-specific, illustrated catalogues of desert animals, homes around the world, airplanes, dinosaurs, and what have you. Similarly, so-called "multicultural alphabet books" expose children to other, unfamiliar cultures by providing a catalogue of indigenous features and cultural artifacts -- objects, expressions, foods, festivals etc. -- associated with those cultures. Angela Leeper of Kirkus Reviews and MultiCultural Review has noted that "an excellent multicultural alphabet book goes beyond what is expected and offers new insights into the culture." A Caribbean Journey is not only a savvy and intelligent picture book production for its wide-reaching, kid-friendly catalogue of Caribbean cultures. The book must also be commended for the author's studied attempt to recognize similarities between Caribbean cultures while simultaneously avoiding a monolithic representation of the region, something which I think the book succeeds at. In this sense, A Caribbean Journey does indeed go beyond what is expected.

    M is for mongoose. 
    And for delicious mango. 
    It is the letter for mountain. Many of our islands have mountains. Some of them     we can climb (if they are not too steep). 
    And let's not forget two very important Ms: mother and music.

    N is the letter for nutmeg. 
    Nutmeg is a very important fruit (and seed) for many countries, like Grenada,     and it is sold around the world. 
    It is also the letter for nest, where most birds are born.

The words chosen to represent each letter evoke Caribbean landscapes and culturescapes, e.g. 'nutmeg' and 'mango,' and so the text is highly descriptive of the Caribbean region, but "non-exotic" words also feature in the alphabetic catalogue, words like 'nest' and 'mother,' which do not have any particular cultural overtones, but simply extend the number of words beginning with a given letter. Children will enjoy finding all the words on the page that begin with a specific letter. Also, unlike some authors of multicultural alphabet books who have simply listed culturally-loaded words on each page, the author of A Caribbean Journey uses an expository style of prose writing so that children who are unfamiliar with some of the terms or words will find it  easy to grasp the concepts in the book. The rhyming format of many multicultural alphabet books have often made them a favorite with children, and Picayo's non-rhyming text may perhaps suffer in that sense.

Detail: A Caribbean Journey from A to Y

Detail: One of Earleen Griswold's illustrations

Whenever a picture book attempts to represent a culture, there is always a concern that the images and text may not authentically and accurately represent the culture, but rather, will simply stereotype it. A Caribbean Journey avoids some of the stereotyping of previous Caribbean alphabet books (like Lessac's) by showing much ethnic and cultural diversity in the illustrations. The people pictured are visibly of all races and shades of skin. Also, the illustrator, Earleen Griswold, attempts to demythologize the Caribbean landscape, giving us some images of built-up areas and town scenes, rather than the purely pastoral view of the Caribbean that still tends to dominate many Caribbean picture books. Griswold's cheerful pencil and color pencil illustrations with their vibrant colors, complex yet orderly compositions, naive stylized forms, and depictions of lush, tropical landscapes recall Haitian art to a certain extent, and there does seem to be high degree of aesthetic authenticity to these affectingly simple images. Moreover, Cuban-American book and cover designer, Yolanda V. Fundora, has employed her own textile collections to appealing effect, using festive patterned borders, initial letters and backdrops to create the impression of a sort of quirky illuminated manuscript.

A Caribbean Journey is also a good nonfiction text to use in the classroom. Fascinating facts about the Caribbean (did you know there are over seven thousand islands, islets and cayes in the Caribbean Sea?), diverse vocabulary, and lists of Caribbean countries on each page to correspond with each letter of the alphabet, all provide for rich teachable moments during reading. I was surprised to come across the word "slavery" in the book: "S is also the letter for one of the saddest of words: slavery." It speaks volumes to the cultural commitment of this book and reveals the courage of its author, that something so unbearable and yet so central to the Caribbean's history is not omitted; indeed, there is something rather progressive about a contemporary Caribbean children's book that opens up the possibility to discuss the meaning of slavery with young children.

My one critique of the book lies at the end, where the author, as promised, reveals what happens to the 'Z':

    Many of our ancestors lived in Africa, and many of our best traditions came with
    them to the Caribbean. We owe them much. Giving them the last letter in our
    journey will be our small way of saying thank you.

The above text is accompanied by an illustration of two presumably Afro-Caribbean people standing on a Caribbean shore presenting a letter 'Z' to two African people, pictured in a separate frame, against a pastoral African landscape. I have written before about the tendency of many Caribbean children's books to portray Caribbean cultures as utterly Afrocentric. The racial diversity reflected in the illustrations of A Caribbean Journey is ironically negated by this closing tribute, which mentions Africa, but not India, China, or the South American continent, the other predominant "source countries" of Caribbean peoples. I interrogate this not to dispute the truth of the statement; the forerunners of a majority of Caribbean peoples did originate in Africa. However, in light of the overwhelming Afrocentrism of Caribbean children's books written by Caribbean and non-Caribbean authors alike, it is necessary to wonder if a statement such as the one made at the end of A Caribbean Journey may be alienating to non Afro-Caribbean people, children and adults alike.

All in all, A Caribbean Journey from A to Y (Read and Discover What Happened to the Z) is an ambitious and heart-warming exposition of the Caribbean that combines the best affordances of the picture book form with skilled writing and an ear for the stories, images and emotions contained in words. Caribbean and non-Caribbean children alike will turn to this book again and again to take them on a kid-friendly tour of this rich, colorful region. Reading level: ages 9 -12!

About the author: Mario Picayo was born in Cuba, grew up in Puerto Rico, lived a large part of his adult life in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and currently lives in New York, USA. He is a cultural activist, audiovisual artist, and producer. He has worked for the Smithsonian Institution, the Dominican Republic's Institute of Folklore, and many other cultural organizations in the United States and the Caribbean. Picayo also worked for Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street) as Spanish Editor in their magazine division. In 2004, the New York State assembly made public recognition to his artistic career and of his work as a defender and promoter of Latino and Caribbean culture. Picayo is the Editor at Editorial Campana, a bilingual Latino/Caribbean press in the States. His other children's books include A Very Smart Cat/Una gata muy inteligente. For more information about Mario Picayo, check out his profile over at Anansesem's Managing Editor's blog.  About the Reviewer Summer Edward is a freelance writer from Trinidad and Tobago. She is the Founder and Managing Editor of Anansesem, the ezine you're currently reading! She blogs at Summer Edward's Caribbean Children's Literature.

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