Jamaica and Brianna

by Juanita Havill, Anne Sibley O'Brien (Illustrator)

Overview

It's wintertime again, and Jamaica has to wear her brother Ossie's hand-me-down boots. She finds herself envious of her friend Brianna's pink boots with the fuzzy cuffs, and Brianna teases her about her ugly, old "boy" boots. But one word brings reconciliation for the two friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395779392
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/03/1996
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	204,101
Product dimensions:	8.81(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

JUANITA HAVILL is an American children's picture book author best known for the Jamaica books. She has also written a young adult novel, Eyes Like Willy's. She lives in Arizona.

ANNE SIBLEY O'BRIEN has illustrated more than thirty-three books for children, including the Jamaica stories. She lives on an island in Maine with her husband.

Editorial Reviews

"O'Brien's warm, realistic illustrations of this vibrant African-American and her lively Asian-American friend are just right." Kirkus Reviews —

From the Publisher

Peer approval and the need for good communication are the themes of this quietly appealing story. Like many younger siblings, Jamaica is often stuck wearing hand-me-downs, in this case, her big brother's ``old gray boots.'' After her friend Brianna makes fun of Jamaica for wearing ``boy boots,'' the resourceful heroine enlarges a hole in the toe of one of the offending galoshes, thus speeding up the need for a trip to the shoe store. When Jamaica returns to school, resplendent in a brand-new pair of cowboy boots, Brianna is once again ready with a put-down. Hurt, Jamaica retaliates with a remark about Brianna's own footwear. As in her previous Jamaica books, Havill displays a clear grasp of what matters to children. The simple, direct prose finds its complement in O'Brien's cozy, realistic watercolors. The pictures of Jamaica and Brianna are convincing; an additional pleasure are the vividly rendered bit players (Jamaica's classmates and family) who grace the background of nearly every page. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-Another charming book about Jamaica, a young African-American girl. This time, the story concerns what happens when she and Brianna, an Asian-American classmate, allow envy to undermine their friendship. Jamaica has to wear her older brother's outgrown, worn-out boots one snowy day. She is not happy about this, and is not helped by Brianna's unfeeling comments. Nor does she appreciate her friend's mean remarks when she gets new boots. Both girls are upset and angry, but they are able to work things out in a satisfying way. O'Brien's illustrations are realistically and beautifully done. They derive their power from the artist's ability to re-create the whole gamut of emotions that can be reflected in little girls' faces. Her solid watercolor paintings wonderfully complement the text, which is gentle and understated. Never preachy or overly dramatic, Havill's tender and sensitive story can be used to help young children deal with negative feelings.-Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

School Library Journal

Ugly boots. Hand-me-down boots. Boots that are not like anyone else's in the class. Friendship broken and rekindled because of a calamitous incident. This is the story of Jamaica and Brianna, two school friends with a timeless winter plight. Lynne Thigpen is masterful as the voice of narrator, mother and children. She is firm but understanding as the mother who must help her daughter through childhood's hurts, straightforward as the narrator, and childlike but respectful as each of the girls. Thigpen convinces the listener of the special friendship between Jamaica and Brianna, which is able to "weather" the crisis. A.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 00 - AudioFile