I have long been a fan of June Stoute, Barbadian children’s writer, and am happy to have passed my love of her work on to my daughter and to the many children I encounter as a teacher.
We immensely enjoy the whimsical, often humorous ways, June weaves her tales, and the excellent artwork that accompanies them, as well as the interesting facts which usually appear at the ends of the books.
Each book seems to surpass the next in excellence, always making the latest book our favourite.
Ping Pong is no exception!
In this book, using that quintessentially Caribbean instrument – the steel pan – as her focus, June has captured the very essence of the Caribbean in words while her illustrators, Suzette Humphreys and Jehanne Silva-Freimane, have “kept pace” beautifully with their interpretations of the work.
Those of us who know about and love the steel pan know exactly what Rosa (the young protagonist of the book) means when she declares her love for this unique instrument and its sounds. For those unfamiliar with pan, this book will open a door to this world of “magical” music.
As a teacher and writer, I have read many accounts of the history of the steel pan, but none quite as enjoyable as “Rosa’s Notes on Pan”. In simple terms, June provides an invaluable overview of pan yesteryear and today. We even learn how steel pans were made in the old days! These “fact sheets” are also enhanced by colourful, beautifully rendered drawings.
Ping Pong brings back memories of Panorama (Trinidad), Pan on de Sand (Barbados), Pan on the Hill (Barbados) and Pan in de City (Barbados); makes me yearn to revisit the famous pan yards of Trinidad. Why? Because Ping Pong is pan. And I love them both.
And I’m sure children (from 4 to 94), particularly children of the Caribbean, will love this book too.
Nailah Folami Imoja
Educator/Writer
Barbados
August 2011
2 comments:
Nailah,
Thank you for all the wonderful things you've said. Such an endorsement makes the work of writing and publishing worthwhile.
What a cool review :)
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