(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Synthia Saint James. Quotations from many centuries and many tribal groups are gathered in thematic sections entitled "Mother Earth," "The People," "War and Peace," "Spirit Life," and "Enduring Wisdom." The endnotes give sources for the quotations. The familiar faceless abstract forms of the illustrator's paintings are powerful but sterile in their elimination of specific cultural detail.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Synthia Saint James. "A sprinkle of stars, / A plume of smoke, / A plum-purple sky, / And a black baby Jesus-- / Hallelujah!" Nikola-Lisa describes different colors, repeating the rather bald "black baby Jesus" refrain, while Saint-James's simple color-block paintings show scenes from the Nativity. Combining an ethnically-specific Jesus with the color-concept element is odd, but many will welcome the book's inclusive intentions.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Synthia Saint James. Exuberance and elegance in art and text tell this simple story of girls together. Williams's writing has a vibrant lyricism as she follows five girls on an early-morning walk out of the Project to a nearby suburb, where they climb trees and adorn themselves with magnolia blossoms. Saint James creates paintings reminiscent of Matisse cutouts in their clear line and intense color.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(4) PS Attractive as Saint James's bright, basic paintings of these Caribbean children are, they don't fit all that well with the singsong text's salutations to different objects. For instance, the authors refer to body parts ("Greetings, toes" and "Greetings, nose") that, due to lack of interior line, aren't clearly delineated on the featureless figures.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.