Topics in the Youth Collection

Rosy's mother remembers the pleasures of her childhood in Jamaica and the very special dolls she used to play with.

Sareen is attending her first sit-up, a Jamaican tradition that celebrates the life of a loved one who has died. The whole village has come to share memories of Sareen’s Nana. Sareen wants to tell her stories of Nana’s last mango season and their search for the perfect mango, but she’s afraid the words won’t come or that she’ll begin to cry. It’s only when Sareen faces her fear that she realizes it’s not the sadness of Nana’s death that she’ll remember best but the joy of Nana’s life. Set amid the rich culture and lush scenery of Jamaica, this moving book offers the hope of rediscovering joy after a loss and pays tribute to the remarkable power of story: to touch, to connect, and to heal.

"Every day I tell Mama, I want to go home" Every day she tells me, "We are home, Angelina. New York is home now." Angelina's heart aches for Jamaica, and no matter how much Mama talks of having a better life in New York, Angelina still dreams about mangos, johnnycake, rainbow-colored birds, and the warmth of the sand under her feet. Then one day Mama sees something in the paper about Carnival in Brooklyn, New York, and she thinks she may have found a way to soothe Angelina's homesickness. With vibrant colors that seem to dance right off the page, Jeanette Winter pays homage to Jamaica and the traditions of the West Indian people.