Look Back! - Hardcover

Cooke, Trish

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156656980X ISBN 13: 9781566569804

Publisher: Crocodile Books, 2014

Synopsis

A beautiful picture book that tells children that it is okay to be afraid. Who was the mysterious Ti Bolom? Could he be real or was he just one of Grandma’s inventions from her Caribbean childhood? Illustrator Caroline Binch and writer Trish Cooke—both acclaimed award winners—come together to tell this magical story of Grandma’s rainforest adventure.

About this title

About the Author

Trish Cook is an award-winning author, scriptwriter, and actress of Dominican heritage. Her most popular children’s book, So Much, won the Smarties Book Prize and the Kurt Maschler Award. She has written plays for stage, television, and radio and also runs creative writing workshops. Caroline Binch is an award-winning children’s illustrator and author best known for her illustrations of the international bestseller, Amazing Grace. Her book Hue Boy won the Smarties Gold Award in 1993 and Gregory Cool was highly commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Reviews

K-Gr 2—The story begins with Grannie asking young Christopher, "I ever tell you about Ti Bolom?" She follows her question with a loud, "Eh Kwik!" to which Christopher answers, "Eh Kwak!" a call-and-response refrain traditionally used for storytelling in Dominica. Grannie then goes on to tell him of a mysterious creature that haunted her childhood wanderings. Wherever she went, Ti Bolom was sure to follow, yet, try as she might, Grannie could never catch sight of him. The woman keeps the boy (and readers) on edge as she recounts the many close calls she had in keeping her distance while also trying to see what he looked like. After trying to capture a glimpse of him using the bottom of a polished pot as a kind of mirror to look behind her, she ends her part of the story by saying she became so afraid that she never tried to look for him again. This gives Christopher an idea to go looking for the creature as well, using a mirror and a flashlight. He encounters Ti Bolom right away and here is where the author and illustrator make a peculiar and unsatisfying decision: they reveal Ti Bolom's image in Christopher's mirror, an image that is very much like the ubiquitous smiley-faces that originated in the '60s, followed by an uncharacteristic comment made to Christopher by the creature. It just doesn't add up. VERDICT This potentially terrific read-aloud and audience participation selection falls disappointingly flat at the end.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

Edition details

• Publisher: Crocodile Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 156656980X
• ISBN 13: 9781566569804
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Binch Caroline
• Number of pages: 32