Class Libraries for Jamaican Schools

One of the joys of life is exploring new worlds through books. Many children in Jamaica are denied this pleasure because the only books they have are their school textbooks, which hold no particular interest for them. They don’t visit the parish library, and few schools have libraries with a qualified librarian able to assist hundreds of children in the school.

I’m therefore making a suggestion that schools have class libraries. The class teachers know their students well and can select books which they think each child would like and be capable of reading. If the class library had sufficient books, children could browse and make their own choices. Children learn to read better by reading books which interest them at their current reading level.

Then there needs to be a set time each day when the children “Drop Everything And Read” (DEAR), one of the unfulfilled objectives of ESTP (the Education System Transformation Programme).

Where can these books come from? They can be donated, parents could be asked to buy one book (a different book for each child to add to the pool) or money could be given to, or raised by the schools to purchase the books. In this and subsequent posts I’m making some suggestions for suitable books to stock class libraries. I'm starting with books for beginners. 

Little Lion at Bat by Kellie Magnus

Although an enormous number of books available, I've tried to narrow it down to a manageable number. Picture books appear to be an obvious choice, but in many of them the text  is intended for reading aloud by a proficient reader and is too complex for emergent readers. Another important consideration is that children see themselves in books from an early age. Ones featuring Jamaican children are listed in my post “Books for Young Children by Jamaican Authors”. 

There is a good selection of books from the wider Caribbean on the Anansesem website and on Amazon. For example: Coconut Mon by Linda Milstein – a counting book.

A coconut's life for me by Jonathan de la Rosa 

Five Birds on a Wire by Melanie Charlene

In addition, there are several graded readers written specifically for Caribbean children. Here are my picks:

Macmillan Caribbean: Reggae Readers (written specifically for Jamaican children.)

                                    Ready, Go  Series

A book in Macmillan Caribbean
 Ready, Go series

Language Tree Reading Scheme by Leonie Bennett

Cambridge Storybooks I wasn't able to look inside any of these titles, but they are designed for English Language Teaching, which would seem to me to be suitable for Jamaican children in Grades 1 and 2.

Ladybird books Penguin continues to publish new titles in the Ladybird imprint. Many of them are relevant to the Caribbean and are available in Jamaican bookshops.

My story in the
Stepping Stone Series

Pearson’s Stepping Stone Series is another set of readers intended for Caribbean children, but it is hard to get hold of in Jamaica.

The Ministry of Education in Jamaica used to supply schools with the 'Literacy 1-2-3" books and the Doctor Bird Readers, but no longer does so.

Usborne  is a leading UK independent publisher of children's books. They have over 2000 titles in their collection which includes fairy tales, folk tales, fiction, and nonfiction. Their website is organized so that you can choose books for a particular aged child, but not their reading level. You cannot 'see inside' the books so it is hard to gauge the reading level.

There are many books and series written for the American market, most of which have a universal appeal. I compiled the selection below, in alphabetical order of authors, from a list of books enjoyed by students at the  Center for Teaching and Learning.

1. Bridwell, Norman     The Clifford series  Each of these books is about 30 pages long. They are available on Kindle as well as paperback for US $2-4.   
2. Dean, James   Pete theCat series Each about 40 pages. Titles in the Harper Collins 'I can read series'. 

3. Krauss, Ruth    The Carrot Seed 
4. Lakin, Patricia Vroom, Zoom, Bud (Penguin Young Readers, Level 1)
5.  Lobel, Arnold    The Frog and Toad books, Mouse Tales,  and other books in Harper Collins ‘I can read books’
6.  Marshall, Edward    Four by the Shore, Three by the Sea and others. (Penguin Young Readers series.) 
7. Marshall, Edward and James    The Fox books (Penguin Young Readers series.)
8.  McMullan, Kate   Fluffy Goes toSchool (Scholastic Reader).
9. Numeroff, Laura   Jelly Bean’s BigDance  a picture book with simple text.
10.  Parish, Herman    Amelia Bedelia books The original books, by Peggy Parish, about a maid who took all instructions literally, causing her to perform incorrect actions, amuse readers with a good command of English. Jamaican students in grades 1 and 2 might not find them amusing. However, Peggy's nephew has continued the series by writing about Amelia Bedelia's childhood.  
11. Portis, Antoinette    Not a Stick, and Not a Box  - Penguin Story picture books with simple text, could be starting point for discussion or writing. 
12. Rylant, Cynthia   Henry and Mudge series, (Ready to read series) Boxed set – 6 books $12 
13. Seeger, Laura Vaccaro   First the Egg (32 pages). This is an easy read for grade 1 and is also suitable for  Basic Schools. 
14. Stevenson, James    The Castaway,  Don’t Make MeLaugh, These books don't appeal to me, but you can never tell what children will like.
15.  Willems, Mo    The Pigeon books, and the Elephant and Piggie series, 
16. Wilson, Karma    Bear's New Friend and the rest of the Bear books 34pp  These books are actually more appropriate for reading aloud in basic schools and for discussion with a teacher or parent, but the illustrations are delightful and could encourage children to read for themselves.

I hope this list will provide a starting point for those interested in buying books for class libraries or for individual children in Grades 1 & 2 in Jamaican schools.