This wasn't my most favorite poetry book. I guess the good thing about it is that not all the poems rhyme which is something children need to learn. I just enjoy the rhyming ones more. That would be why I like the "Jamaican Market" the best. ( )

The Poems are divided into five different groups. The groups are, as I identify them, are of the sea, ghost poems, about the land, about food, and human relationships. The language used in the various poems uses the, what I call "broken english", language of the caribbean. Like "da" is the word for "the" and so on. In my head, as I was reading this book, I read like I could really talk this language with all the inflections and so on. I laughed at myself. The illustrations were very colorful with some illustrations looking kind of scary. Almost voodoo like.

I really liked this book but I would think twice about which grade level I would introduce it for children to read because of the language, ie "broke english", and some of the pictures. I really liked the illustrations on a adult level, I thought they were very colorful and bright. The cover of the book was very inviting, too. That's what drew me to the book in the first place.

Like I said I would have to think twice about which grade level I would allow to read in my class room. I think it, definitely, would be a great book to use for language purposes and also for social studies. Also, for use when teaching children about poetry and it's varieties of poetry. ( )