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The
Fisherman's Horn
by Phillis and
David Gershator
illustrated by
Mim Green
and Phillis
Gershator
Little Bell
Caribbean
(Editorial
Campana), 2010
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| From
the book jacket: |
Whoot toot toot!
The sound of the conch horn blasts
through the air, calling out the
news: FRESH FISH FOR SALE. When an
island cat hears the news, she
follows her ears, her nose--and her
dreams. And who follows the cat? A
dog, a mosquito, a frog, a boy, a
market lady. All the while, the cat
marches on, dreaming her dreams of
one fish, two fish, then three,
four, five, six....
At Caribbean
market squares and waterfronts,
wherever fishermen sell their catch
of the day, the traditional call of
the conch can still be heard--and
dreams can still come true!
The Fisherman’s
Horn, a sprightly rhyming tale by
the authors of Palampam Day
and Kallaloo,
was inspired by the French fishermen
whose families immigrated from
St. Barts to St. Thomas in the 19th
century.
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| A
little about the book: |
The Fisherman’s
Horn was also inspired by the
sound of the conch we heard when we
lived in downtown St. Thomas, not far
from Market Square and the waterfront.
The horn told everybody the catch was
in and meant "Time to buy fish fresh
off the boat."
David helped me give the tale more
dash. My mother
liked it so much she drew all the
characters for the story. I only wish
that she were here to have completed
the illustrations herself and to see
our happy collaboration bear fruit.
When Campana’s editor, Mario Picayo,
called and asked me if I had a story
set in the Virgin Islands as a
potential Governor's Christmas gift
for young readers in the Islands, I
sent him our manuscript, arranging and
coloring Mim’s drawings and adding
details to develop the narrative. The
Governor and First Lady, John and
Cecile de Jongh, gave the project a
green light, and Mario’s designer,
Yolanda Fundora, gave it an extra
added island touch with a bright,
Caribbean blue font.
I'm hoping The
Fisherman's Horn will be a
gift beginning readers will share with
the whole family, and that everyone
will join in with a rousing WHOOT TOOT
TOOT when it comes time to sound the
horn.
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