Tukama
Tootles the Flute. New York: Orchard Books,
1994. $15.95.
Rata-Pata-Scata-Fata.
Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1994. $14.95.
St. Thomas poet and children's librarian Phillis
Gershator bases Tukama Tootles the Flute
on an old Caribbean folk tale. A preference for "limin" rather than helping
his grandmother around the house leads Tukama into danger. Climbing the
cliffs at the edge of the sea and tootling on his flute hold more appeal
for him than carrying coal or digging potatoes. But two-headed giants
who live in the caves in the cliffs "look for wild children to eat" along
with their prickly pears and poisonous red jumbie beads. Brave but foolish,
Tukama scoffs at his grandmother's warning and does as he pleases and
winds up stuffed into a bag to be "fattened up for supper." Tootling on
his flute almost gets Tukama into the soup pot but also helps him escape
the giants' clutches.
Synthia Saint James's strong color paintings
with a liberal use of black emphasize the precarious result of Tukama's
devil-may-care attitude. Sensitive children, however, may find some of
the illustrations off-putting, although they are not as grim as Grimm.
"Rata-Pata-Scata-Fata," the title of the second
book, is a Caribbean gobbledy-gook phrase made up by Junjun who prefers
dreaming, day or night, to work. It is roughly equivalent to "abracadabra"
with the same hoped-for outcome—magic. Small children everywhere
will identify with Junjun's non-stop efforts to avoid doing his chores
even while knowing he must find a way to get them done. With no more energy
than it takes to plop himself down, close his eyes, and softly chant "rata-pata-scata-fata"
three times, he manages to find a fish for his supper, fill his bucket
with tamarinds for homemade jam, and cause the sky to open to fill the
rain barrels. Surely it's magic.
Holly Meade uses the soft blues, greens, and
yellows of the Caribbean to illustrate the story in torn paper collages.
Together, Gershator and Meade have captured the rhythm and color of the
Caribbean islands in a story sure to inspire whispers of "rata-pata-scata-fata"
wherever Junjun appears.
St. Croix |
Copyright © by Jeanne Fraser Brooks