"Michael?" Granny Gene's voice intruded. Michael looked at Marjorie, her eyes wide with fear. He sprang to his feet and went to the door and opened it slightly. "Granny, I am so tired, I will see you in the morning." He kissed her cheek. "Ok, ok," his grandmother croaked. "I will wake you up at five o'clock. Have a good sleep, mi son."

Septimus Brown had a huge herd of musky goats, which he took to the bushes in the mornings to return at nightfall. Claris Wagerhood, the Revivalist, the virago, the torment of the village, had one she-goat called Mary. It was a wiry animal with very big ears like Claris'. It ate almost everything, including paper.

'A we dis? Cultural Representation of the Caribbean in Children's Books' is the title of a public lecture to be delivered by Dr Cherrell Shelley-Robinson, lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, on Thursday, September 10, beginning at 5.30 p.m.