Despite the subtitle of this disparate collection of nearly 40 "Caribbean" verses, only six of its entries are authentic folk rhymes-the remainder are an uneven selection of original poems by the Guyana-born Agard and Nichols. In "Baby-K Rap Rhyme," for example, jaunty stanzas alternate with the refrain "poop po-doop/ poop-poop-po-doop" and unexpectedly lead to a polemic: "Dey pumping up de chickens,/ Dey stumping down de trees,/ Dey messing up de ozones,/ Dey messing up de seas." Mother Goose characters put in occasional appearances (Humpty Dumpty is befriended by "little Hugh/ who fixed him up with super glue"). Other poems celebrate sights and sounds particular to the islands ("A certain old lady from Caribee loved the sound of kis-ka-dee-kis-kis-ka-dee"), and nearly all make use of dialect. But the strongest flavors here derive from Jabar's (How Many How Many How Many) scratchboard illustrations. Full of zest, lit with tropical colors, these pictures fairly dance across the pages. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3?A collection of 39 original and traditional rhymes that supposedly capture language patterns found among Caribbean populations. These renderings are a poor representation of rhythmic expression when compared to Agard and Nichols's A Caribbean Dozen (Candlewick, 1994). Many of the selections are choppy, with timing difficult to grasp, and Jabar's brightly colored scratchboard illustrations are inconsistent in quality and proportional design. This rendering is a great disappointment in view of the extraordinary execution found in the authors' previous work.?Barbara Osborne Williams, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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