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Coomacka Island: Anansi Jr. And The Mango Truck - Don Hooper
Coomacka Island: Anansi Jr. And The Mango Truck
Don Hooper
ISBN: 1425101437
Trafford
Reviewed By Holly Parker
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
Anansi Jr. (AJ) Spider is an avid gardener. He gladly spends hours tending to his rows of Scorpion Orchids, Crab & Lobster Claws, and Monkey Tail Shrub. In fact, he spends so much time in the garden one day that he forgets to eat, so his huge appetite sends him into town in search of the delicious Julie Mangos.
When he arrives at the mango truck in the middle of Macka Street Market, AJ quickly clears it out, greedily buying all the mangoes and making his way home to feast. Before he leaves, though, Amani Ant and his little sister Karima arrive, wanting a mango of their own. Much to his dismay, Amani finds that all the mangoes are gone, and he desperately wants one for Karima, who has never tasted one before. He asks AJ to spare one of his, but AJ refuses, instead mocking and laughing at the ants as he rushes off.
In his haste, though, AJ ultimately loses his prized mangoes, and what follows is a very valuable lesson in selflessness and sharing.
The story of Anansi and the Mango Truck is a heart-warming tale of the virtues of putting others before ourselves. Through his characters, Hooper teaches lessons that we all will be well served to apply in our everyday lives, whether it involves giving up our bus seats to elderly passengers or letting someone have a parking space that we found first. What's important to understand is that we only stand to gain by giving freely of ourselves in any and every way possible.
With incredible illustrations accompanying his text, Hooper's story is an absolute treat for the eyes. A must-read for book lovers of all ages.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Don Hooper (Coomacka Island Series)
Apex Reviews: Don, we appreciate your joining us for this interview and giving us a chance to learn more about the Coomacka Island Series. Many thanks for your time.
How did you come to the decision to publish children's books?
Don Hooper: Initially, Coomacka Island was intended to be an animated series. But, since the stories and lessons were so well suited for print that became the focus. Taking the books to print first, gave Coomacka Island a more direct means of reaching schools, teachers, parents and an overall wider audience.
AR: How long did it take you to develop the idea for the Coomacka stories?
DH: It took about 4 months to create the basic framework for the Coomackastories. After those first four months, and then release of the Coomacka Island: The Story of Spider & Ant, there was a growing period of about a year. During that time, the scope of Coomacka grew immensely as I added new settings and character types to the Island.
AR: What inspired you to base the stories in the Caribbean?
DH: Darnel and I both have parents from the Caribbean. Growing up, our parents shared with each of us the rich oral tradition of Afro-Caribbean folk-tales.We wanted to expand on that tradition. So, our goal was to create new stories, based in the Caribbean, that could be passed down from generation to generation and shared on a global basis.
AR: How do you come up with such imaginative names for the characters (Sulubu Scorpion, Amani Ant, Kukumacka Duppy, etc.)?
DH: It depends from character to character. Typically, I choose animal types that are more commonly found in tropical locations, such as lizards or scorpions. Then after I've outlined the characters personality, I'll check around to see if there's an African name that is both playful for children and meaningful to the character type.
In the case of Sulubu Scorpion. He's a singular character type: the bully. So, I wanted a name that captured that, but was also fun to say. Sulubu means tough in Swahili. And, it just seemed like the kind of name a child would like to say over and over again.
Duppy is the Jamaican word for ghost. In the Caribbean there is a tree called the Macka tree with long prickly spiked branches. Some islands call the tree the Coomacka tree or the Kukumacka tree. The same tree has a lot of legends associated with it. For instance one legend calls it the Tree of Life, which bore fruit for the original people of the world. Another legend said that ghosts and spirits inhabited the tree. From there, Kukumacka and Duppy were combined to be the Kukumacka Duppy.
AR: Where do you get the ideas for the morals you convey in your tales?
DH: It depends. Sometimes, I think of things that my parents taught me. Other times, I think of different situations and issues children face growing up. Then, I come up with different ways to approach those situations.
AR: How many total books are there in the Series? Do you plan to write more?
DH: Right now there are three books in the series.Yes, I already have several other stories I'm working on. We'd like to take some time to focus on some of the animated Coomacka stories. But, if the public demands more books, then more books will come.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers - both children and adults had to the books?
DH: Children really love the vivid pictures. They love the stories. Regardless of age, they always have excellent questions and responses to the concepts addressed in the stories, which is the effect I was looking for. It's one thing to create a book that people read and put down, it's another thing to create a book that generates necessary dialogue about issues children face.
Parents and teachers like the books as well. I find that adults are particularly impressed with the questions and glossary at the back of the books.
Lenox Lizard and the Kukumacka Duppy received a lot of positive response from adults who said that this story was not just for children.
AR: How is the current market for children's books? Do they fare well in terms of readership?
DH: The market for children's books is a difficult market to break into right now. It's rare for a children's storybook to become an industry bestseller. The major players are storybooks that have been around for decades, or have cartoons that they pool their readers from.
In general children don't buy books. Adults do. So, it's vital to capture the parent's attention.
AR: The illustrations by Darnel Degand are phenomenal. How did you two end up working together?
DH: We first began working together back at the University of Pennsylvania. We were in several projects together, including a 3D-game world design course. During that time we both expressed similar interest in creating creative entertainment mediums from a Caribbean perspective.
About four to five years after we graduated, we began working together again to create Coomacka Island.
AR: What's next for you?
DH: In a nutshell: First, it's the Coomacka Island book tour. We're bringing Coomacka to schools, and public events all over the nation and the Caribbean. By the third quarter of 2008, we plan to have the groundwork laid out for the Coomacka Island animated pilot. Other than that, I plan to just continue writing, whether it's for animation, video, or print.
AR: Thanks again, Don, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Don Hooper
ISBN: 1425101437
Trafford
Reviewed By Holly Parker
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
Anansi Jr. (AJ) Spider is an avid gardener. He gladly spends hours tending to his rows of Scorpion Orchids, Crab & Lobster Claws, and Monkey Tail Shrub. In fact, he spends so much time in the garden one day that he forgets to eat, so his huge appetite sends him into town in search of the delicious Julie Mangos.
When he arrives at the mango truck in the middle of Macka Street Market, AJ quickly clears it out, greedily buying all the mangoes and making his way home to feast. Before he leaves, though, Amani Ant and his little sister Karima arrive, wanting a mango of their own. Much to his dismay, Amani finds that all the mangoes are gone, and he desperately wants one for Karima, who has never tasted one before. He asks AJ to spare one of his, but AJ refuses, instead mocking and laughing at the ants as he rushes off.
In his haste, though, AJ ultimately loses his prized mangoes, and what follows is a very valuable lesson in selflessness and sharing.
The story of Anansi and the Mango Truck is a heart-warming tale of the virtues of putting others before ourselves. Through his characters, Hooper teaches lessons that we all will be well served to apply in our everyday lives, whether it involves giving up our bus seats to elderly passengers or letting someone have a parking space that we found first. What's important to understand is that we only stand to gain by giving freely of ourselves in any and every way possible.
With incredible illustrations accompanying his text, Hooper's story is an absolute treat for the eyes. A must-read for book lovers of all ages.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Don Hooper (Coomacka Island Series)
Apex Reviews: Don, we appreciate your joining us for this interview and giving us a chance to learn more about the Coomacka Island Series. Many thanks for your time.
How did you come to the decision to publish children's books?
Don Hooper: Initially, Coomacka Island was intended to be an animated series. But, since the stories and lessons were so well suited for print that became the focus. Taking the books to print first, gave Coomacka Island a more direct means of reaching schools, teachers, parents and an overall wider audience.
AR: How long did it take you to develop the idea for the Coomacka stories?
DH: It took about 4 months to create the basic framework for the Coomackastories. After those first four months, and then release of the Coomacka Island: The Story of Spider & Ant, there was a growing period of about a year. During that time, the scope of Coomacka grew immensely as I added new settings and character types to the Island.
AR: What inspired you to base the stories in the Caribbean?
DH: Darnel and I both have parents from the Caribbean. Growing up, our parents shared with each of us the rich oral tradition of Afro-Caribbean folk-tales.We wanted to expand on that tradition. So, our goal was to create new stories, based in the Caribbean, that could be passed down from generation to generation and shared on a global basis.
AR: How do you come up with such imaginative names for the characters (Sulubu Scorpion, Amani Ant, Kukumacka Duppy, etc.)?
DH: It depends from character to character. Typically, I choose animal types that are more commonly found in tropical locations, such as lizards or scorpions. Then after I've outlined the characters personality, I'll check around to see if there's an African name that is both playful for children and meaningful to the character type.
In the case of Sulubu Scorpion. He's a singular character type: the bully. So, I wanted a name that captured that, but was also fun to say. Sulubu means tough in Swahili. And, it just seemed like the kind of name a child would like to say over and over again.
Duppy is the Jamaican word for ghost. In the Caribbean there is a tree called the Macka tree with long prickly spiked branches. Some islands call the tree the Coomacka tree or the Kukumacka tree. The same tree has a lot of legends associated with it. For instance one legend calls it the Tree of Life, which bore fruit for the original people of the world. Another legend said that ghosts and spirits inhabited the tree. From there, Kukumacka and Duppy were combined to be the Kukumacka Duppy.
AR: Where do you get the ideas for the morals you convey in your tales?
DH: It depends. Sometimes, I think of things that my parents taught me. Other times, I think of different situations and issues children face growing up. Then, I come up with different ways to approach those situations.
AR: How many total books are there in the Series? Do you plan to write more?
DH: Right now there are three books in the series.Yes, I already have several other stories I'm working on. We'd like to take some time to focus on some of the animated Coomacka stories. But, if the public demands more books, then more books will come.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers - both children and adults had to the books?
DH: Children really love the vivid pictures. They love the stories. Regardless of age, they always have excellent questions and responses to the concepts addressed in the stories, which is the effect I was looking for. It's one thing to create a book that people read and put down, it's another thing to create a book that generates necessary dialogue about issues children face.
Parents and teachers like the books as well. I find that adults are particularly impressed with the questions and glossary at the back of the books.
Lenox Lizard and the Kukumacka Duppy received a lot of positive response from adults who said that this story was not just for children.
AR: How is the current market for children's books? Do they fare well in terms of readership?
DH: The market for children's books is a difficult market to break into right now. It's rare for a children's storybook to become an industry bestseller. The major players are storybooks that have been around for decades, or have cartoons that they pool their readers from.
In general children don't buy books. Adults do. So, it's vital to capture the parent's attention.
AR: The illustrations by Darnel Degand are phenomenal. How did you two end up working together?
DH: We first began working together back at the University of Pennsylvania. We were in several projects together, including a 3D-game world design course. During that time we both expressed similar interest in creating creative entertainment mediums from a Caribbean perspective.
About four to five years after we graduated, we began working together again to create Coomacka Island.
AR: What's next for you?
DH: In a nutshell: First, it's the Coomacka Island book tour. We're bringing Coomacka to schools, and public events all over the nation and the Caribbean. By the third quarter of 2008, we plan to have the groundwork laid out for the Coomacka Island animated pilot. Other than that, I plan to just continue writing, whether it's for animation, video, or print.
AR: Thanks again, Don, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!