Look Back!

by Trish Cooke, Caroline Binch (Illustrator)

A beautiful picture book that tells children that it is okay to be afraid. Who was the mysterious Ti Bolom? Could he be real or was he just one of Grandma’s inventions from her Caribbean childhood? Illustrator Caroline Binch and writer Trish Cooke—both acclaimed award winners—come together to tell this magical story of Grandma’s rainforest adventure.

Genres: Picture Books, African American, Folk Tales, Folklore, Childrens, Cultural

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2013

About the author

Trish Cooke is a British playwright, actress, television presenter, scriptwriter and children's author who might be best known for being a presenter on the children's series Playdays. She also wrote under the pseudonym Roselia John Baptiste.

Reviews

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why we chose this book:
Crocodile Books provided a review copy of this when they sent us This is the Chick.

Mom's Review (V)

A grandmother describes a childhood experience in Dominica with her grandson.

The frame in Look Back! is that of a grandmother telling her grandson about catching Ti Bolom, the mischievous being who walks behind you at night and disappears when you turn around. Christopher, the grandson, is entranced by Grannie's story and unsure if Ti Bolom is fictional or real.

Grannie describes how she set out to catch Ti Bolom as a girl. Grannie's story drew me in so fully that I could see her as a girl in the forest, even without Binch's beautiful artwork. It is her task to bring food to an elderly neighbor, and she anticipates Ti Bolom following her as she returns home in the dark. On successive nights, she attempts to catch him, but he escapes each time. On her final try, a dog barks so loudly at her that she runs home in fear and resolves to never try and catch Ti Bolom again.

Christopher, fascinated and enchanted by the story, is certain that he has heard Ti Bolom following him down the hallway at night. He is determined to catch sight of Ti Bolom and uses what he learned from Grannie's stories to do so. The ending is magical. That's all I want to say about it, because I really think you should read it yourself.

Why? The bond between grandparent and grandchild is palpable. The grandmother's story is magical. Although Grannie's experience is specific to the Caribbean, that childhood certainty of seeing a legend is universal. Look Back! so well evokes that delicious uncertainty of myth. Is Ti Bolom real? Who am I to say he's not?

Bonus:
Trish Cooke writes:
"When I was little, Mum, Dad and my older brothers and sisters were always talking about this fun place that I’d never been to and so I grew up imagining what it would be like to be in Dominica."
You can read more about her and her inspiration on her website.

Son's Review (T)
(Age: almost 4)
Just a little anecdote. When I paused for a moment after reading the first couple of sentences, T commanded: "Keep reading!" And as soon as we finished, T asked to read it again.

Mom: Do you think Ti Bolom was real? Why?

Son: Yeah. I just do.

Mom: What did you like about Grannie?

Son: I liked that she told stories.

Mom: Would you want to be friends with Christopher? What would you do together?

Son: Yeah. Well what I would do with Christopher, I would take Christopher to the playground.

Mom: What would you do if you heard the "pattaps pattaps...huh huh huh" behind you?

Son: I wouldn't do anything. I would close my eyes shut.

Mom: What do you think of Ti Bolom?

Son: He's kinda scary because he's tricky.

Mom: It seems like Christopher likes to hear stories from his grandmother. Is that like anyone you know?

Son: I like to hear stories from Mommy.

Mom: How did you feel as we read Look Back!?

Son: I liked it.

Mom: What was the best part of this book?

Son: Where she told the story.

Mom: What would you ask Grannie if you could meet her?

Son: I would ask her, why does she tell that story?

Mom: What's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: Since it's about a granny and her grandchild.

Son: What was your favorite thing about the grandma.

Mom: My favorite thing about the grandma was that she didn't tell you if Ti Bolom was made up or real. You had to figure it out on your own. Do you have any other questions for me?

Son: I don't have any questions for you.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

How wonderful to see Caroline Binch's lush illustrations working with Trish Cooke's Dominican-inflected text! A little boy, Christopher, is listening to his Grannie's stories of Ti Bolom, from her Dominican childhood. The call and response of Dominican storytelling, along with the warm relationship between generations (both Christopher and Christophine, his Grannie, and young Christophine and Ma Constance from Grannie's story) makes the book an attractive one to read. Although it may be particularly attractive to a teacher with a culturally diverse class, I think the grandparent and grandchild relationship is one that most children will relate to. Young Christophine greets Ma Constance with "Bonsoir"; this may be very interesting to culturally diverse schools teaching French, as children may not realise that it is spoken in countries other than France. Recommended for Y2-Y4 as a class story, guided reading and independent reading, as well as to support learning in PHSE (famillies) and Geography.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing the story of Grannie’s attempts to catch the illusive Ti Bolom when she was living in Dominica in a young child, Christopher attempts to do the same. For such a climatic and engaging story, Christopher’s shortened equivalent version falls flat and provides an anticlimactic ending. I feel like the whole tale would have been stronger if they had left out Christopher’s part, and ended with the uncertainty of where Ti Bolom could be. The drawings are filled with vibrant colors, lifelike down to the wrinkles and muscles and the individual braids and curls on the children’s heads. The dialect is also strong in the narration, mimicking that of an oral story teller. If done properly, this might make a good story to tell instead of read, or break into a reader’s theatre opportunity. The call and response might have to be prefaced or explained to audiences unfamiliar with that story telling technique.

[Katie Logonauts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This folktale-style story from the Caribbean island nation of Dominica is told through the frame of Grannie telling a story from her childhood to her grandson Christopher. Her story involves the mysterious, mischievous Ti Bolom. Kids will love the repeated storytelling call-and-response as well as the 'is he / isn't he' discussions about Ti Bolom himself.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy's grandmother tells him a spooky tale of her childhood in Dominica when a mysterious being called Ti Bolom crept around behind her as she delivered food to a family friend. Trish Cooke always writes stories with such a dynamism and flow, and the pencil and watercolor illustrations are gorgeous!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and compelling, but creepy! Reminds me of The Pale Green Pants with Nobody Inside Them and Creepy Carrots.

[Jschofi4 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The text is very clunky and lacks a good rhythm. The illustrations are okay, but nothing to write home about.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this tale told by grandmother as she reminisces about a time she tried to capture a glimpse of the mischievous Ti Bolom who lives in the woods of Dominica.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was pretty fun! I enjoyed the cultural flavor, the fable feel, and the inter generational communication. Watch out for Ti Bolom!