Jeanine Agnant shares her memories about Haiti, the land, and the culture with her granddaughter, Josephine, to connect the generations.
Mommy, Tell Me About Haiti is endorsed by the Haitian American Historical Society.
Mommy, Tell Me About Haiti
Caribbean
El Flamboyan Amarillo
A boy planted what he belives to be a yellow poinciana seed but to his surprise the seed produced a red poincina tree.
Romance De El Conde Olinos
This story is about two individuals that cared for each other. It starts with “El Conde Olinos” singing to his horse while he gives him water, on the shores of the sea. The queen hears him and encourages her daughter to listen to the song. The girl innocently reveals the name of the singer, uncovering some loves that are not to the taste of the mother who announces, “ I will send him to kill”. Their threats are fulfilled, and the two lovers die. But the lovers become two birds that will fly together.
Can’t Scare Me!
A fearless little boy ignores Grandma’s warning about nighttime monsters until he runs away and meets the two-headed giant’s three-headed brother.
Haiti My Country: Poems by Haitian Schoolchildren
For several months, Quebec illustrator Roge prepared a series of portraits of Haitian children. Students of Camp Perrin wrote that accompanying poems, which create, with flowing consistency, Haiti My Country. These teenaged poets use the Haitian landscape as their easel. The nature that envelops them is quite clearly their main subject. While misery often storms through Haiti in the form of earthquakes, cyclones, or floods, these young men and women see their surrounding nature as assurance for a joyful, confident future.
Serafina’s Promise
In a poor village outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Serafina works hard to help her family, but dreams of going to school and becoming a doctor–then the earthquake hits and Serafina must summon all her courage to find her father and still get medicine for her sick baby brother as she promised.
The Lightning Dreamer
In free verse, evokes the voice of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, a book-loving writer, feminist, and abolitionist who courageously fought injustice in nineteenth-century Cuba. Includes historical notes, excerpts from her writings, biographical information, and source notes.
Join the discussion of The Lightning Dreamer as well as other books set in Cuba on our My Take/Your Take page.
Floating on Mama’s Song
A seven-year-old girl is amazed when her mother’s singing suddenly begins to make her listeners float, but Grandma says she must stop, making Mama terribly sad until her daughter makes her smile again.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 3
Kenya’s Song
For homework Kenya has to choose her favorite song, but there are so many different kinds of music in her community that she has a hard time deciding.
Drummer Boy of John John
A story inspired by events in the boyhood of Winston “Spree” Simon, a pioneer in the development of the steel drum, in which he discovers he can create tunes by banging on discarded cans. Includes author’s note, glossary, and sources.