|
Ibis Stew? Oh, no!
by Joanne Gail Johnson
Illustrator:
Katie McConnachie (ktfsh@candyw.ag)
This is the story of the evil pirate Captain Bad who
sets sail on the Caribbean Sea to hunt down the Scarlet Ibis to make
into a stew. However his plans are interrupted when he meets up with Omo
and Pete who hatch a plan to try to make him change his ways.
Delightfully illustrated, and written in the form of a
story poem, Ibis Stew is for children of all ages and will serve as a
gentle reminder of the importance of conservation of our endangered
birds.
The Scarlet Ibis, one of Trinidad’s national
treasures, is now under threat of extinction. However the
Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust together with environmentalists and
school groups are campaigning to save this beautiful bird. More
information can be found in Captain Bad’s Scrapbook at the end of the
book.
Joanne Gail Johnson taught in Trinidad primary
schools for eight years and during this time discovered her interest in
children’s theatre. In 1991 she wrote, produced and directed and acted
in “The Island”, an interactive play educating its audiences of children
about the plight of Trinidad’s endangered national bird, the Scarlet
Ibis. In 2000 Joanne rewrote the play as a children’s book and renamed
it Ibis Stew? Oh No! Joanne recently launched her website caribbeanchildren.com
Katy McConnachie worked for Hanna Barbera, in Los
Angeles, as a special effects cartoonist before opening her own graphic
design studio and art gallery, Seahorse Studios, Antigua. She has also
illustrated Shadows on the Moon and Oh No! The Pink Flamingo Turned
Green! both published by Macmillan Caribbean.
 for information about this and
other upcoming
products and projects
about Joanne's colourful Caribbean storybooks.
"Joanne takes Ibis Stew? Oh, no! to School libraries
Ibis Stew? Oh, no! is a great read aloud
experience. The book hit stores here in Trinidad before Christmas and
was well received. At my favorite outlet, "Rainy Days", Rhonda Abraham
said they sold "like hot bread". Her first ten sold over night literally
and her second ten by the first weekend, when she placed an order for
"More please!" In my experience - that was grrreat going! smiles
I was delighted too when Suzette Julian, principal of
the International School of Port-of-Spain invited me to read at their
elementary school's Family Night Story Time. Imagine how pleased as
punch I was to discover the school library already had my book and some
of the kids had read it and were genuinely delighted to meet "the
author".
Getting that first contract as an author is an exciting
moment to be sure. I did not feel like a 'real' author however, until
someone I had not previously known and was not related to, recognized
my name as the writer of a book she purchased - at her daughter's
request. That was almost four years ago. On January 25th, 2006, five
titles and thousands of books later, I was reading my first hard cover
book, Ibis Stew? Oh, no! out loud for the first time, to
children and parents of all ages and nationalities - right here in
Trinidad.
Many of them were expatriates so I was interested to
learn first hand, just how well the universal appeal of my work
delivered the Caribbean-specific details. My best compliment was the
rapt attention of young and old alike for the full length of the story,
with laughter and oohs and ahhs, at all the right points. I was further
rewarded with successful sales of all my titles afterwards. What writer
could ask for more?!
|
