Product Description

Where does sea meet sky?
Where does sound meet color?
Where does song meet soul?

Here is a place where children run, splash, and sing, on an island in the West Indies, in a world that is nothing short of magical. Rachel Isadora's glowing watercolors and lyrical, evocative text celebrate the things that make the Caribbean a very special home.

"The poetic text encourages the reader to visualize the meeting of the waves and the sand, wind and hill, song and soul, and to imagine the activities that follow." (The Horn Book)

"Isadora's pictures move and sway like a Caribbean breeze." (Booklist)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #647231 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Isadora's (A South African Night) simple, rhythmic paean to the Caribbean opens at the start of a day: "Where morning meets light, we rise." Echoing this phrasing, the author spotlights some typical island activities: her child protagonists take a dip at water's edge ("Where waves meet sand, we swim"), walk in the country ("Where wind meets hill, we run"), visit an elderly woman who evidently has tales to share ("Where years meet story, we see") and gaze upon a sunset ("Where darkness meets night, we dream. We dream"). The conclusion, as well as the calming cadence throughout, lends this tale to a bedtime read-aloud. Some of Isadora's language may seem ambiguous ("Where sound meets color, we hide," for example, describes some children's experience in the marketplace), but her inviting watercolor paintings offer a vivid interpretation. Her children pose as if for a camera, with friendly grins; her paintings take in sultry beaches, bright colored houses, tidy white-washed buildings. The imagistic text and the realistic art reinforce each other's strengths. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Island life is vividly depicted in Isadora's simple verses and sun-drenched images. Lovely watercolor paintings show children swimming along the shore, laughing in the rain, going to school, and listening to stories.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Isadora captures the mood of an island and the spirit of children in this evocative picture book. "Where morning / meets light / we rise," and four island children look out a wooden window at readers. The children hide at the market, swim at the shore, and fish, sail, and run on the beach. "Where rain meets earth, we splash." And in a joyful exhibition, "Where song meets soul, we dance." Isadora's pictures move and sway like a Caribbean breeze. The loveliness of the pictures works in tandem with the honed text; there are only three lines of text per page, but they overflow with meaning. A wonderful read-aloud for individuals or groups. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

A winner!
My children love this new book by Ms. Isadora. I am a teacher and look for books where Afro-American children and situations are portrayed in a favorable light and with respect. I foound that this book not only does justice to a part of the world I come from, but gives children here in the US a realistic and wholesome look at life in the Islands. We all loved the illustrations and the simple text, which actually got our minds thinking and exploring the meanings behind each picture. I know teachers everywhere will love adding this book to their collection.

Gorgeous illustrations compliment Isadora's eloquent words.
My daughter brought Isadora's book home from the library. Our family read it aloud last night and all agreed the author is a wonderful poet and gifted artist..We visited the Caribbean last year and after reading this book, my husband, daughter and I, complimented her beautifully written text and luscious artwork...Isadora captured the islands and its people to perfection.