From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6--In his foreword, Berry explains that he was raised in Jamaica and always longed to hear the music of the Caribbean Creole language in poetry. These 60 selections, divided into six broad categories, are simple and spoken in the voice of a child. Most of the poems concern the universal events and emotions of childhood, such as the excitement of a good grade in school or the sounds of a snoring father, and will appeal to young writers and readers. However, the most interesting poems are those that depict island life. For example, from "Everyday Music": "All a mix together/village sounds make my music/with fighting dogs yelping/birds in trees twittering/a lonely goat bleating/hidden ground doves cooing/hidden mongoose shrieking." Occasional British words or island lingo may be unfamiliar to youngsters but the terms are defined at the bottom of the pages. Bryan's bold black-and-white prints appear throughout; they often have a stronger flavor of the Caribbean than the language. These poems are not as evocative as those found in Monica Gunning's
Under the Breadfruit Tree (Boyds Mills, 2003), but Berry's collection will serve where additional simple poetry is needed.
--Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 2-5. When Berry was growing up in Jamaica, his teachers designated his native Caribbean-Creole speech "Bad Talk." Happily, such misguided suppression never dampened the writer's enthusiasm for what he calls the "language sounds" of his childhood, as this collection of 60 poems makes clear. The most accessible speak to such universal themes as the yearning for power, humorously addressed in "The Child Member of Parliament Manifesto": "Make playtime full time! / Make chocolate cake free!" Periodic footnotes explain words such as
ginep (a fruit) and
bowler (a pitcher in cricket), but at times young American readers will find Berry's regional idiom perplexing. All of the poems, though, will hold kids rapt with their sheer musicality--especially if read aloud. They may even inspire children to "do a whispa and a big shout" in their own unique voices. Award-winning artist Bryan provides bold, black-and-white illustrations that allow Berry's words plenty of room to resonate.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
