UNDER THE BREADFRUIT TREE

A moving collage of poems and illustrations recreates the daily life of a girl growing up in Jamaica, introducing friends and relatives in her life, and reflecting her observations. Readers will sense the narrator's exhilaration at splashing in the ``water crystals'' that spray out of Aunt Sue's hose, and will join in her adventures with her best friend, Connie. Sad moments come, too; when Connie dies, readers feel the loss acutely. Gems of human kindness shine particularly bright amidst the ever-present poverty of the island: Aunt Mae shares breadfruit with Grandma when food is scarce, and Uncle Viv can't stop giving away plums to hungry street children. Although a vendor of spicy patties appears to be selling doughnuts and cupcakes, the black-and-white scratchboard illustrations capture Jamaica through the textures of palm leaves, breadfruit, bird feathers, and the wrinkled skin of the elderly. Readers will learn more about Jamaica from these sensitive poems than many visitors to the island ever do. (Poetry. 7-10)