A Kirkus Reviews most anticipated picture book of fall 2019 by Nadia
L. Hohn, named one of CBC's "6 Black Canadian writers to watch"
Louise Bennett Coverley, better known as Miss Lou, was an iconic poet
and entertainer known for popularizing the use of patois in music and
poetry internationally--helping to pave the way for artists like Harry
Belafonte and Bob Marley to use patois in their work. This picture book
tells the story of Miss Lou's early years, when she was a young girl
growing up in Jamaica.
As a child, Miss Lou loved words--particularly the Jamaican English, or
patois, that she heard all around her. As a young writer, Miss Lou felt
caught between writing "lines of words like tight cornrows," as her
teachers instructed, and words that beat more naturally "in time with
her heart."
The uplifting and inspiring story of a girl finding her own voice, this
is also a vibrant, colorful, and immersive look at an important figure
in our cultural history. With rich and warm illustrations bringing the
story to life, A Likkle Miss Lou is a modern ode to language, girl
power, diversity, and the arts.
End matter includes a glossary of Jamaican patois terms, a note about
the author's #OwnVoices perspective as a Jamaican-Canadian writer, and
a brief biography of Miss Lou and her connection to Canada, where she
lived for 20 years.