Play Mas'!: A Carnival ABC

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Every year, many cities around the world are infected by the Play Mas’
bug—a condition that makes people put on outrageous costumes, eat
spicy food, and dance to loud Caribbean music for several days in a row.
This delightful picture book is about these West Indian-style carnivals
that now take place in such wide-ranging places as Winnipeg, Canada,
London, England, and Miami, Florida. Both author Dirk McLean and
illustrator Ras Stone were born in Trinidad.

The text is arranged in alphabet-book format from A to Z. McLean uses
catchy alliterative sentences to explain how carnivals are planned and
performed by thousands of dedicated volunteers: “Alonzo arranges art
for Mas’ Bandleader’s approval. / Braids, beads, and bamboo shake up
in the Butterfly Band. / Celebrate colorful Carnival and Crop Over with
cool coconut water. / Dragon Mas’ at Dimanche Gras dances into the
night. / Everybody everywhere enjoys delicious edibles. / Flagwoman
leads the float past frying flying fish. / ... / Zigzag steps and zebra
stripes celebrate Zulu Mas’.” McLean also includes an appendix to
explain other Mas’ traditions like throwing baby powder and dressing
like sailors. Stone’s illustrations vividly capture the pulsating
color and exotic themes of the carnivals. For an extra challenge, he
cleverly inserts in each painting objects that follow the letter theme
of the page.

Play Mas’! is a wonderful introduction to Caribbean carnivals for
both young and adult readers. Highly recommended.