Coconut Kind of Day

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

These 13 verses, nostalgic and sweet, portray a child's life in Trinidad, where the ``pom da de de de dom pom'' of the steel drums and the sight of ``Mama gone to market . . . balancing her wicker basket / like the Star of Bethlehem'' are everyday occurrences. The child-narrator of the poems tells of buying treats from the coconut man, of helping the fishermen ``pullin' seine,'' of seeing the ``rows of scarlet ibis / race across the sky / chasing the red ball sun / into the sea.'' The authentic portrayal of island routine offers young readers an intriguing look at another culture, made accessible by reference to topics of interest to children. Looking burnished, as if by the sun, Speidel's lush paintings capture the vibrancy of this exotic locale, and Joseph's rhythmic poems evoke vivid sights and sounds. Ages 6-9. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-- Joseph's 13 brief poems recall a day in the life of a family in Trinidad. ``Morning Songs'' begins with a rooster singing ``coc-a-toodle-too'' from a galvanized gate. ``Night Songs'' ends the volume with a mongoose, matapel, and agouti calling out. In between, a little girl sets off for school in her blue-and-white uniform, older boys play cricket, a father buys a treat from the coconut man. Poems that describe ``Pullin' Seine,'' (net fishing), a reggae band, and the ``The Jumbi Man'' add to the Caribbean flavor. Joseph frequently incorporates island speech patterns into her work. Speidel's illustrations add enormously to the book's appeal. Double-page spreads in soft, muted shades of blue, rose, gold, and green show the poems superimposed on one side. Textured paper lends interest to scenes such as a brother swimming underwater and scarlet ibis chasing the sun across the sky. A gentle, nostalgic, loving recollection about growing up in another part of the world. --Ellen D. Warwick, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA