Nadia Hohn

A stunningly beautiful picture book that tells the early life of Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverly or as she was known, Miss Lou. Living in Jamaican, Miss Lou knew two kinds of English, the one she used at school with structure and even lines, and the Jamaican Patois she heard in her community and family. Not everyone always appreciated her poetry written in Jamaican Patois, but Miss Lou knew she had to be true to her inner voice. She went to Excelsior college and found a place to share her voice, going on to become a renowned Poet, opening doors for figures like Bob Marley and Haarry Belefonte. The book has two pages of Louse Bennett Coverley's biography at the end. It was written by Nadia L. Hohn who was a fan and gives credit to Miss Lou for opening the door for Jamaican artists everywhere, the author included.… (mehr)

Young Louise goes to school where they teach her how to speak 'proper' English, but she's fascinated by the more colloquial language she hears in her Jamaican hometown.

I picked this book up completely randomly after seeing it on my library's shelves. I knew absolutely nothing about Louise Bennett before reading it, and I'm said to say that I didn't learn all that much from this book, despite my high expectations for it. The main text itself doesn't really explain anything about who she is or why she is important, although an author's note was more helpful with that. A glossary at the back expounds on what the words in the text are, whether it's that "likkle" means "little" or describing a type of bird or food mentioned.

I don't know, perhaps I was just overly tired when I read it, but this title didn't do much for me. I felt that without the contextual information at the back of the book, the main text didn't stand up on its own. The illustrations, however, are lovely -- brightly cheerful and lively.… (mehr)