How the East Pond Got Its Flowers

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Tulah was born with a caul over her head; folk beliefs in Antigua
suggest that such a child will “be able to communicate more easily
with the spirit world” and perhaps accomplish great feats. Though
Tulah is “small-small,” she believes when Mother Sillah tells her
that she can do something special with her life and decides to plant
flower seeds by the muddy East Pond. With great effort tiny Tulah does
the planting, and the seeds grow at last, making the neighborhood more
beautiful.

Both author Trotman and illustrator Sasso are of Caribbean descent and
live in Toronto. Their story is produced in a picture-book format with
full-page black-and-white illustrations that extend the text. Print is
small and the reading level would be appropriate for junior grades,
though the format is unlikely to appeal to that age group. How the East
Pond Got Its Flowers may be a useful book for libraries to help children
learn stories from the various cultures that constitute the Canadian
mosaic.