'Miss Betina's House' aims to provide children with entertaining reading material featuring Caribbean situations. - CONTRIBUTED
FROM ITS glossy, colourful cover, on which the title and author's name are raised slightly, to the end of its just over 50 pages, Hazel D. Campbell's Miss Bettina's House is a high quality, highly entertaining children's book.
However, in telling the story of a group of enterprising animals which knock heads and hooves to ensure their survival as well as the security of Miss Bettina's house after their elderly owner falls ill and is taken away for an extended period, Miss Bettina's House teaches lessons that are applicable to all ages in an engaging way.
There is self-sufficiency as the cast of creatures, including a planning (if sometimes not very practical) Dog, Cat with a typical feline air of superiority, an excitable Goat and expressive Polly, the parrot, as well as Cow and Donkey, put Dog's plan to keep their haven secure into action. It centres around them 'adopting' Ernest, having him live at the house and feed them, as well as making people believe that it was haunted.
In choosing Ernest, whom Miss Bettina had been very kind to, the eternal lesson of tolerating difference is taught, as Dog asks, "You know that dundus boy who walk and beg? Nobody no want him. If we take him in and give him somewhere to live, I'm sure he will take care a we."
WORK AND LAZINESS
As Ernest is introduced in the third of 13 short chapters, each comprising short sentences, Campbell describes his physical characteristics, from creamy skin to pale eyes, yellow hair and short, quick steps due to being near-sighted.
As the tale goes on, Ernest and Dog speak the broadest patois, Cat the most 'purrfect' English, Ernest gives a literal taste of rural life as he digs yam from the backyard to go with the food from the cupboards, his neatness and industry being a fine example.
All is not well, though, as the lazy thief Curry Dan has his eye on the house and its contents. After failing to poison Dog, he is finally appointed to watch the house by Mr. Kelly, who is taking care of Miss Bettina's affairs.
That leads to the climatic scene, a riotous, rollicking affair where the animals and Ernest fool Dan into thinking the house is really haunted. He runs away screaming, Miss Bettina returns and all is well, ending a very engaging read.
And yes, there is that spot of wisdom, as Cat remembers being forced to hunt mice as Miss Bettina gets forgetful and does not feed her. The first catch is rejected for taste, but not the second, as 'hunger is the best sauce'.
Miss Bettina's House is published by Carlong Publishers and is part of its Sand Pebbles Pleasure Series, which 'aims to provide children with entertaining reading material featuring Caribbean situations'. Campbell is also the series editor.
- M.C.
