All books available at Sangsters Book Stores in Jamaica, or online at
http://sangstersbooks.com/products/children-s-books/category/caribbean
The Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series
In 2002, Carlong (well-known text book publisher in Jamaica) decided to start
publishing trade books for children. They named it the Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series.
I had the honour of being invited to be the series editor and so had a hand in
guiding and overseeing the publication of the books. I have had the pleasure of working with
authors who are all passionate about increasing the pool of recreational
reading for our children both in Jamaica and in the wider Caribbean. Some of
these authors were already published, some not.
Today, there are many more books for
children being published in Jamaica, but at the time there were few new ones
coming out. Carlong now has eleven titles in the series spread across chapter
books, short story collections and novels for children aged 8 to 14 years. Over
the years, many of these books have won BIAJ awards. Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne was shortlisted for
the Burt Award in 2014.
Some of you are already aware of the
books in the series, but I would like to spend a few minutes introducing our
titles to those who might not be familiar with them.
The recommended ages are merely
guides as we know that children's reading competence differs from one child to
the next. In all the books there are
illustrations which complement the text. However, since these are not picture
books the illustrations are in black and white but nevertheless very engaging.
For the younger readers ages 8 to 10
years, there are the chapter books
1. Jenny
and the General by Jean D'Costa
Jenny's pet dog, Monty, is getting
old. But when Jenny does not come home from school, he realizes that she is in
trouble and goes to rescue her from the mad woman who had kidnapped her. Monty
is a pet most children would like to have.
2. Miss
Bettina's House by Hazel D. Campbell
Miss Bettina has to leave her
animals behind on her little farm. A neighbour is supposed to take care of
them, but the animals find that they are on their own and have to protect Miss
Bettina's house from a village rascal who wants to take it over. Led by Dog,
the indoor animals, Cat and Polly, together with the outdoor animals Cow and
her calf, Donkey and Goat have to trick Curry Dan into leaving them alone. First,
they decide to 'adopt' a homeless boy, Ernest, who takes care of them. Then they
devise a very hilarious plan to scare away Curry Dan. ( When I first wrote this
story, Miss Bettina didn’t return. But after I read it at a few schools, all
the children wanted her to return, so the story ends with her coming back and
being welcomed by all the characters.)
3. Every
Little Thing Will be All Right by Diane Browne
Five short stories about children
facing and overcoming everyday challenges, like – Delroy who wants to be the world's
best batsman, but whose parents can’t afford to buy him a bat. Or Saffiya who wants
to be a ballerina and defies the adults who think her body shape is wrong. At
the independence celebrations at her school she shocks everybody by dancing a
ballet piece. There are other stories here you will enjoy.
For the older children 10 to 12 we
have
4. Jojo's
Treasure Hunt by Cherrell Shelley
Robinson
This is a delightful novel about 12
year old Jojo whose parents are about to lose their home. Jojo remembers our folktale
about Spanish jars hidden at the foot of cotton trees. There is a large cotton
tree in his neighbourhood and he is determined to find the Spanish jar. But he
has to be at the tree at midnight and he is scared, because the folktale says
that the treasure is always guarded by the ghost of a slave. Can he do this?
Can he visit the tree at midnight, find the treasure and save his family? You
have to read this exciting story to find out.
5. Little
Island Big Adventures by Maria Roberts Squires
This story comes from another
Caribbean island. One of the Grenadines attached to Grenada. You may need to consult your
atlas. But you won't need it to follow this story about the adventures of Sara Ann
and her best friend Ruben. They get up to a lot of antics in their last year of
primary school on their island which is so small, there is only one school, one
church, no piped water or electricity and no police station. The culture of
this tiny island is intriguing.
6. Freedom
Come by Jean Goulbourne
We don’t know much about how Jamaican
children lived in the past. These five stories fill in that gap - Children in
Port Royal during the buccaneer era; Taino children; children in slavery. These
are all lively stories which help to increase our knowledge of what it was like
for children in these times.
7. Bernie
and the Captain's Ghost by Hazel D. Campbell
Mystery and Adventure await these
six orphan, handicapped children invited to spend their summer holiday in the country
by a mysterious person. They meet ghosts, men involved in the transshipment of
drugs; get kidnapped, locked away in a cave and experience other dangerous situations. But in
the end, they survive and there is a welcome surprise for them.
For
ages 12 to 14
8. Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!
Eight Caribbean authors from Jamaica, Grenada, Belize, Guyana, Monsterrat,
Trinidad and Tobago
This book contains 10 exciting and unusual
folk tales, traditional and modern, from these Caribbean countries. You'll enjoy
reading them and moreso listening to the two accompanying CDs which record four
of the stories. There is a very informative introduction to folktales by
Professor Maureen Warner-Lewis
9. Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne
Another delightful story from Diane
Browne. This time about Princess McQueen who spent her early years living with her
beloved grandmother in Jamaica. Then at age 13 she migrated to Brooklyn in the USA
to live with her mother whom she barely knew. She has to learn to adjust to living
with her mother and stepfather as well as adjust to her new school. She faces
many challenges in her new life, but in the end all is well.
10. Forest Fever by Sharon James
This story, set in the island of Dominica
during the 70's gives us a very interesting view of the era of the early Rasta
movement in that country. We get the action through the eyes of Jerry a seventh
grader who goes on a school trip to the forest and their famous Boiling Lake.
He gets lost during a sudden storm, and experiences extraordinary events in a Rasta
camp in a far mountain region.
Then we come back to the 10 to 12
age range with
11. Ash
the Flash by Hazel Campbell and Nattalie Gordon
Being launched at Kingston Book
Festival on Saturday March 7, and about which I won't say much here (I've
written on this before and will probably write again) except that it was an
interesting experience co-writing this novel with a former student from my
writing class. It was fun writing about this boy, Ash, who unexpectedly finds
himself able to run faster than Usain Bolt. I know you will have fun reading it
also.
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