A young boy helps his aging grandfather complete a basket to be used by their Garifuna village to carry on the tradition of making cassava bread. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

This tale celebrates a Carib boy's urgent decision to resist modern ways and follow his grandfather in preserving a traditional craft. Only Carpio, Tavio's grandfather, knows how to weave the basket required in making cassava bread, a specialty of the Carib people. Alarmed by the increasing signs of Carpio's aging, Tavio begins to pay particular attention to the old man and to his basket weaving. When Carpio is too frail to finish the new cassava basket promised to the village women, Tavio knows what he must do. Unfortunately, London drapes this modest story in layers of similes that nearly smother a child's perspective. However, this indulgence is not enough to spoil the story's sentiment. Crespo's (How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth) well-researched paintings present authentic Carib life and environments with an easy playfulness. While the message packs enough punch for an elementary school unit on cultural survival, this tale goes beyond making a teacherly point to portray and honor the individual's bond with family and community--and the powerful traditions that strengthen that unity. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 4--Amid the lush landscape of a fishing village in Belize, young Tavio visits with his aging grandfather, who sits beneath a cashew tree weaving together reeds to form a new cassava squeezer for the village breadmakers. As Carpio works on the much-needed basket--the one last thing he feels he must do before he dies--he tells his grandson that age-old Garifuna (black Carib) traditions are being lost because children are venturing off to city life instead of carrying on the old ways. Eventually Carpio grows too weak to work, but Tavio, now convinced of the importance of his grandfather's efforts, begs him to explain how to finish the basket. When the squeezer is completed and successfully put to use, the boy decides that he will become the new village basket weaver. The clear plot and well-drawn, loving characters are accompanied by folk-art acrylic paintings bordered in basket-weave designs. The vibrant colors of the full- and double-page illustrations highlight the text's portrayal of the people's way of life. This warm story of a loving, intergenerational relationship reinforces the importance of keeping traditions that enrich our lives. Suggest the book for family read-alouds, and use it to accompany units on family folklore or to inspire the learning of traditional crafts.Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Ages 3-8. In a coastal village of Belize, young schoolboy Tavio is faced with the possible loss of his frail, elderly grandfather, Carpio, and must decide what role to take among his people. While heavy machinery makes changes in the people's rural life, Carpio continues to tell his grandson stories and weave the baskets that have been his life's work. Carpio is the only villager left who remembers how to weave the cassava baskets necessary in the making of good, rich cassava bread, and his stories help Tavio see the importance and beauty of older traditions. The author, who dedicated the book to Belize's Carib people, provides young readers with a strong story that looks at rural life, the importance of continuing cultural traditions, and the bonds that exist between generations. Various basket-weaving designs frame the warmly colored pictures, and as in Crespo's Taino tale How the Sea Began (1993), the villagers are depicted with stylized almond-shaped eyes. (Reviewed Aug. 1996)0525453148Karen Morgan From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.