Review - A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice

A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
by Nadia L. Hohn
illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Date: 2019
Publisher: Owlkids
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Jamaican poet and entertainer Louise Bennett Coverley, better known as "Miss Lou," played an instrumental role in popularizing Jamaican patois internationally. Through her art, Miss Lou helped pave the way for other poets and singers, like Bob Marley, to use patois in their work.

This picture book biography tells the story of Miss Lou's early years, when she was a young girl who loved poetry but felt caught between writing "lines of words like tight cornrows" or words that beat "in time with her heart." Despite criticism from one teacher, Louise finds a way to weave the influence of the music, voices, and rhythms of her surroundings into her poems.

A vibrant, colorful, and immersive look at an important figure in Jamaica's cultural history, this is also a universal story of a child finding and trusting her own voice. End matter includes a glossary of Jamaican patois terms, a note about the author's "own voice" perspective, and a brief biography of Miss Lou and her connection to Canada, where she spent 20 years of her life.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This bright and appealing picture book tells the story of poet Louise Bennett Coverley and her early attempts to find her voice as a child in Jamaica.

Samples of Miss Lou's poetry are sprinkled throughout the text, which is highlighted by colourful illustrations. There are lots of unfamiliar vocabulary words, but there is a nice glossary at the back. Also at the back is a short biographical sketch of Miss Lou, along with a lovely photo that captures the personality of this influential poet.

Overall, this is a solid biographical picture book for kids. Children of Caribbean descent, especially, will probably enjoy this one (as will their parents)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5