About the Author:
Lynn Joseph was born in Trinidad and now lives in Hollis, New York. Her book The Mermaid's Twin Sister: More Stories from Trinidad received the Americas Award.
From School Library Journal:
Grade 4-7-Six short stories, set in Trinidad, from the author of A Wave in Her Pocket (Clarion, 1991). The narrator is Amber, 12, who gathers with her cousins to listen to her grandaunt's stories. Tantie's tales are filled with images of the supernatural, from the duennes who threaten newborn babies who are not properly baptized to the mermaid of the title story who loses her human form when she defiantly goes for a swim on Easter Sunday. Several selections are meant to teach a lesson. The best of these is the moving "Obeah Woman's Birthday Present," which tells of an ungrateful child who banishes an old neighbor from his birthday party and throws her gift over the fence. Others offer a history of Amber's family and community. This volume has fewer figures from African and Caribbean folklore than the earlier book, and more of the stories are rooted in the lives of the children themselves. While some of the selections are better than others, all hold readers' interest, and even the briefer ones are reasonably well developed. The earlier title features unusual and distinguished scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney; Perrone's illustrations are attractive but not extraordinary. Nevertheless, this volume complements the first one well and adds another dimension to Tantie's tales.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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