In Caribbean news. BRADES, Montserrat (December 15, 2013) – Caribbean mothers in the Diaspora are raving about Island Days, the new children’s book by Nerissa Golden.
“I was so excited to receive my copy in the mail and look forward to my children reading it. My sons always have questions about what my life was like growing up in the islands and this is a great way to show them.” said Ruby Brown, who grew up in the British Virgin Islands but now resides in Atlanta. “I had a good laugh at the first poem Church Days because I think she captured perfectly the character of an old gentleman I remembered as a child on Tortola. I recommend Island Days to anyone who would love to share the island culture with their children.”
Carol Mitchell and Daughter
“For West Indian parents raising their children outside of the Caribbean, it is a fun book, easily read aloud, to help them introduce their culture,” says Eva Greene Wilson of socamom.com. Wilson, who is a Trinidadian native now living in the Washington DC said “I enjoyed reading Nerissa’s new book. The illustrations are bright, colourful, and filled with energy.”
“I’m enjoying the feedback from parents on how the children react and laugh when they read Island Days and that is the best testimonial I could get,” beams Nerissa Golden. “It’s also been helpful to discuss what life was like on some islands years ago but I like the fact that many aspects of the poems still occur on Montserrat today.”
“This is a book that while it caters to a wide age group, should be in the hands of every Caribbean child,” comments Sonja Smith, the Librarian at the Montserrat Public Library. “Golden delivered an interesting and entertaining account about Montserrat and aspects of Caribbean culture in her writing of her new book. The construction of the book covers a range of themes that include family, fun, religion and festival. It brought back reminders of going to the market to buy produce with my very own grandmother and the lovely times we had as children. The colourful pictures cause the imagination to go wild as Max and Grace celebrate the good times with their family and friends.”
Fellow children’s author Carol Mitchell who now lives in the US described Island Days as “a charming book that will delight children with its lilting lyrics and beautifully simple depictions of everyday life in the Caribbean of old. For me the words and the lovely illustrations evoked fond memories of growing up in the Caribbean. Island Days will become a standard in homes and school where it will serve as a starting point for a dialogue between the young and old about the idiosyncrasies of Caribbean life.”
Nerissa Golden
Kathryn Duncan of Karibgraphics of Trinidad & Tobago said she “thoroughly enjoyed illustrating Island Days. I gave as much colour and texture to the characters and scenes as possible, because that is what the Caribbean is all about: colour and texture! I hope that readers, especially children, will be able to identify with the characters, as the latter help to bring the poems to life.”
Island Days was officially launched at a Reading Party on Saturday, December 14, 2013 at the Montserrat Public Library. In attendance was His Excellency the Governor Adrian Davis and his wife Sujue who were early financial supporters of the project.
Island Days is now available on amazon.com. More details on the author and the book can be found on www.nerissagolden.com.
