From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4–A girl in modern Jamaica recounts her feelings during the all-night "sit-up"–a kind of wake–to honor her grandmother who has died. Nervous about sharing her memories in front of everyone who has gathered in her family's yard to share food and favorite stories about and for the deceased, Sareen is comforted and encouraged by her twin brother and parents; in the end, she gathers her courage and tells, through her tears, about Nana's love of mangoes and joy in life, which prompt stories of her sometimes-comical efforts to find the sweetest mango for her sick grandmother. Delighted that she's been able to take part in the ceremony, Sareen joins in the culminating sunrise dance. Rich, naturalistic, full-color oil paintings fill the pages. They reflect emotions well, succeeding most often in their close-up, almost portraitlike faces. The art is less effective in stiff, more distant action or group scenes. The people are seen from a variety of perspectives under dark, midnight-blue tropical skies. The stories-within-the-story are framed in orange, helping to clarify time and action. An author's note explains a bit of the country's history, food, and folklore about death. The genuine emotion, details of life, and focus on the value of storytelling make this a useful addition.
–Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 2. During a Jamaican "sit-up," mourners spend a night telling stories, singing, and dancing in honor of a recently deceased loved one. At the sit-up for her grandmother, Nana, Sareen enjoys the food, games, and shared recollections, but she's terrified of speaking. Finally she finds the courage to tell moving stories about Nana and even joyfully leads a dance. Velasquez's arresting paintings bring the dramatic Jamaican setting, the -anecdotes (cleverly illustrated in insets), and the expressive characters to life, as Jamaican-born Hanson clearly describes the cultural particulars and connections to African history. It will be Sareen's feelings of grief and love, however, that children will connect with, as well as her fear of speaking aloud: "I really want to tell my stories . . . but I'm also afraid I'll burst into tears." Like James Howe's
Kaddish for Grandpa in Jesus' Name Amen, a
booklist 2004 Editors' Choice, this is a powerful story about a young person's initiation into wake customs and her own personal goodbye to a beloved grandparent. An author's note concludes.
Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
