Fruits: A Caribbean counting poem

This is a delightful counting picture book for the very young based on a 'dialect' poem set in the Caribbean and illustrated using Caribbean fruits. There is a glossary describing most of the fruits featured in the book as readers/users not born in the Caribbean would be unlikely to be familiar with such fruits as guineps, jackfruits, jew-plums, naseberries, Otaheiti apples or sweet-soaps. There is no reason however why the language and the exotic nature of the fruits should limit the book's appeal. On the contrary it should be viewed as a celebration of the vigour and flexibility of the English language and the diversity of fruits to be found on the planet, and the very strangeness of the fruits themselves should stimulate discussion - very nostalgic discussion when the Caribbean teacher/parent is involved. At the very best it could encourage a shopping expedition in search of these delicious fruits as many are beginning to appear in shops and market stalls in inner city areas and some are even to be found in supermarket chains. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that bananas (also featured in the book) were a rare sight in Britain 50 years ago! David Axtell's well researched, sumptuous illustrations bring the book alive with vivid colours and give a warm authentic caribbean feel. He uses the clever device of two Caribbean girls at play to give narrative context to the introduction of the fruits.