Patricia G. Turnbull (R), author of Ti Koko and Kush Kush, holding the storybook with bookseller Seema Omroa of Island Services, Ltd., Tortola. (P. Turnbull photo.)
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GREAT BAY, St. Martin - Ti Koko and Kush Kush by Patricia G. Turnbull is now on the School Reading List for Grade 4 students, said Janice George Harris, Education Officer for Language Arts and Theatre in the Ministry of Education, Tortola, Virgin Islands.
“The progress of this excellent storybook published in the Caribbean has landed it in the curriculum of the Virgin Islands,” said Jacqueline Sample of House of Nehesi (HNP), the book’s publisher in St. Martin.
Ti Koko and Kush Kush, which was issued in 2018, is also under consideration for a Teachers Workshop for the next school year, said Dr. Turnbull.
The workshop would explore and position the illustrated book “as a cross-curricular resource, linking language arts, literature, social and cultural studies, history, environmental and plant science,” said Dr. Turnbull, who is also an educator.
Leading environmentalist Tadzio Bervoets has called Ti Koko and Kush Kush “magical” for its bayside and nature-focus storyline and artwork. HNP children’s books like Claude’s Adventure by Wendy-Ann Diaz (St. Thomas), Lizzy Lizard by Robin Boasman (St. Martin), and Ti Koko are “creatively multipurpose,” said Sample.
“Our children’s books, like Ti Koko, are for the joy of reading at home. And so far they are all potential ‘cross-curricular resource’ titles, with richly illustrated stories set in our region, for Caribbean classrooms,” said Sample on Sunday.
“The writing quality, and the book design and production of these books also make for a competitive fit for classrooms around the world that are seeking original stories and fascinating Caribbean experiences,” said Sample.
