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PALAMPAM
DAY
co-author, Phillis
Gershator
illustrated by
Enrique O. Sanchez
Cavendish, 1997
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* Kaleidoscope,
National Council of
English Teachers, 2001
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| From
the book jacket: |
Don’t
pick me, mon! Turo is
astonished to hear a coconut say
just as he reaches out to pick
it. Muchacho,
don’t listen to those
coconuts. They’re nutty,
the parrot in the kapok tree
calls down. Turo hears from the
dog, the cat, even the frog in
the rain barrel--even the sweet
potatoes he tries to dig up to
eat. What’s this
roogoodoo? Turo wants
to know--what is going on?
Down
the road, Turo’s neighbor Mrs.
Zephyr, is having trouble with
her talking bananas, and the
Fisherman can’t sell any of his
talking fish! Everyone shrugs
and says it must be one of those
days. Only Papa Tata Wanga might
know what’s happening--he knows
all the island’s secrets.
Palampam Day--the day all things
find their voice and say whtever
they want in any language under
the Caribbean sun--comes only
once in a true blue moon. Follow
Turo through a most unusual day
as he discovers the special
magic it takes to restore order
to his island home.
Lush
paintings shimmer with the
brilliant colors of the tropics
in this sparkling Caribbean
story.
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| A
little about the book: |
From Phillis--
Among the
editors who encouraged us, Judith
Whipple is at the top of the list.
David has a quirky sense of humor
and is a linguist. I have a knack
for readalouds. Between us, we wrote
some funny stories, and Judith
Whipple was willing to help us
improve them. What a great
collaboration!
Palampam Day
was inspired by a popular African
tale and life and language in the
islands. “Palampam” or “pampalam” is
an old- time island word for
“noise."
From David--
After
you’ve been in the Caribbean a
while, the coconuts start talking to
you, and if some of them happen to
be linguists, well, then it gets
even more interesting.
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| From
the reviews: |
“Colorful acrylic gouache paintings
illustrate this charming tale set in
the West Indies.... An excellent
multicultural selection as the tale
includes vocabulary (and a glossary)
of words from many languages spoken in
the West Indies.” Children’s
Book
Review Service
“The rollicking story plays with the
different languages spoken in the West
Indies, and children will enjoy
reciting the name of each thing Turo
encounters.... the softly colored,
gently humorous illustrations add
another layer to the Caribbean
setting.” Booklist
“This is a charming readaloud for
comparing with other variants of the
tale and for thinking about the
ethnic, cultural, and language
diversity of the Caribbean region.” Five
Owls, selected title.
“...a book that will be enjoyed solo
or in a group, over and over again.” School
Library Journal |
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