Title: Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! Caribbean Folktales
Author: Various
Illustrated by: Kojovi Dawes
Reviewed by: Shaunette Jones
Publisher: Carlong Publishers

Welcome to a world of the unusual, where real people experience extraordinary things.

Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! is a compilation of folktales from all over the Caribbean. retold by different authors, these stories belong to us - Caribbean people - and are traditional and modern at the same time. Bits and pieces of our heritage and culture are brought out in each tale and because the settings are somewhat familiar, the book makes for good reading.

One keynote that stands out in Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! is the focus the whole places on family and time spent together. In most cases, introductions to the stories begin with 'grandpa' or 'granny' telling a story. The use of oral tradition - the act of passing on of information to the next generation - is something that has been dying over the years, something that seems lost on the current generation. With this publication, Carlong Publishers, it seems, is attempting to encourage family time and good reading practices.

The issue of greed is evident in a few of the stories. In 'Li Salando' (a tale from Grenada), Eva, the wife of an old, selfless fisherman called Chum, falls prey to her greed after her husband meets and is blessed with a great catch by a magic fish. Eva gets greedier and greedier with each passing day and begs, even demands of her husband to get more and more from the fish. When a hurricane takes all the gain away, Eva learns that having it all does not bring happiness. Sometimes, it brings more greed.

Good over evil can never be left out of a great story. In the story

Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!, Netty is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsister (June). After accidentally

breaking her stepmother's precious tinaja (water pot), she embarks upon a journey to get a new one. Along the way, she meets strange body parts (so-so head, so-so hands and so-so feet) that make demands on her.

Though tired, she complies and is blessed with many riches in the end.

Her stepmother and stepsister, on the other hand, are abusive, envious, rude, mean and disrespectful. June goes on the same journey, but her intentions are different. She is mean to the strange body parts, seeks the best for herself and only reaps destruction in the end. The lesson here? Be kind and considerate and live better with others.

The folktales also speak to, rewards. 'In Lazy Manny-oh', Manny is not one who loves work. As his name suggests, he is lazy. He scorns the very thought of doing simple tasks. When he finds a mermaid's beautiful gold comb at the river where he collects water for his mother, he steals it and wishes for more riches. After being dragged to the bottom of the river by the mermaid, Manny is forced to use sand and riverweed to polish rusty treasures owned by the mermaid. He learns the satisfaction work brings, promises never to be lazy again and is freed by the mermaid with a gold medallion as a reward.

The fairytale endings are not lost in Caribbean settings. The happily-ever-afters are as much a part of Caribbean tradition as are mermaids and ghosts. Two lovers eventually unite in 'Ti Jean and Mariquite - A True, True Trinidad Fairytale' and a poor young boy named Eleven, after rescuing a king's daughter from death, marries her and lives happily ever after in Nancoon January.

The use of Creole gives an extra Caribbean feel to the text. The descriptive and colourful language will keep readers' minds fascinated and active. The writers employ Standard English, but allow room for the characters to speak in patois. Words like 'pupalick', ' 'milpas', and 'flambeau' will jump out at readers. While this might make reading a bit difficult for some, especially younger children, the authors' use of patois makes the stories more humorous, exciting and real.

Of course, no folktale would be complete without hobgoblins. Yes, ghosts or duppies or anything supernatural. In 'The Legend of Martha Brae', the greedy Captain seeks hidden gold, but kills and tells lies to get it. He finds the witch Martha Brae whom he thinks will lead him to his treasure. Deep in the caves leading to the gold, he meets upon bones of former gold hunters. Because of his lies and wicked acts, Martha Brae turns into a roaring river and drowns the Captain and his hunting party.

Story of a dwarf

Again, 'The Strange Tale of Tata Duende and Cucul Bal' talks of a "dwarf three feet tall with long white beard that sweeps the ground. On each of his short hands he only has four fingers. His feet are turned backwards and he wears a big straw hat and carries a crocus bag. For clothes, he wears animal furs. He is the supreme ruler of the jungle. No man, no spirit - not even the gods dare to challenge him." How much scarier can it get?

The pages are not covered with grand illustrations, but the few that are used are quite interesting. Pictures of the mermaid in 'Lazy Manny-oh', to the so-so head, hands and feet in 'Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!', to Tata Duende in 'The Strange Tale of Tata Duende and Cucul Bal' all jar the imagination into overdrive. The very cover of this compilation brings intrigue and shouts creepy.

The book comes with a list of activities/questions that are aimed at teaching children by giving deeper knowledge of social customs and encourage a bit of research. It also has a glossary of words from each story that will familiarise readers with the language from other territories. In addition, there are two audio CDs with four stories. So, if you cannot read all the folktales, you can listen to at least four of them.

Do you love mystery? Do you love ghost stories and folktales? Want to encounter the real and unreal? Picturing yourself on your verandah or under a tree in the country? Well, add to that daydream Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! It's a perfect read for the long, hot summer days.

A part of the Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series, Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! lives up to Carlong Publishers' aim: to provide children and young adults with entertaining reading material featuring Caribbean situations. The authors hail from different Caribbean countries: Jean F. Forbes and Cherrell Shelley-Robinson write from Jamaica; Eintou Pearl Springer from Trinidad and Tobago; Jane Grell from Montserrat; Michelle M. Petty and Myrna Manzanares from Belize; Nellie Payne from Grenada; and Mohammed Fazloor Yasin from Guyana.