Joanne Gail Johnson is a children's book author from Trinidad and knows her stuff. She is currently on the island and made time to visit Oranje School and St. Maarten Academy. She has travelled to many of the Caribbean islands. Her passion for books and writing began at the young age of 12. She travels with her son, who clearly is her inspiration.
Joanne is also the editor of a Caribbean Sci-fi/ Fantasy series that falls under MacMillan Caribbean publishing, for children ages 12 to 15 and she is also the contributing editor of SHE Caribbean magazine. The Caribbean Sci-fi Fantasy books should capture your interest as it is almost like watching a movie. Island Fiction series are fast-paced, dynamic stories and are based around fantasy, science-fiction and the legends and folklore of the Caribbean. The story lines are set in the Caribbean in the past, present and future.
Check out the face book page island fiction and join in on the fun. The writer of one of the Caribbean Sci Fi Fantasy books Michael Holgate has an interesting trailer on his book: Night of the Indigo out on YouTube, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdk24U3ItzU
In Treasure House 1 & 2 Caribbean's anthology series, you will find short stories written by different Caribbean writers including Joanne's work. Ibis Stew, Go Barefoot, Sally's Way, Diggers Diner and The Scottish Island Girl all written by Joanne come with read along CDs sold through her web site at www.caribbeanchildren.com
Joanne now has a new series of books out under the title meaningful books. One of the books out in this series is called Pink Carnival. This is a beautifully illustrated book with so much culture and colour that it is great for young and old to sit together and learn. In this book that is created for toddlers, a little boy feels inspired by the colours of nature and chooses a pink hat. His father doesn't agree and says no, pink is for girls...or is it? With this book, the author introduces the concept of sexism in a light-hearted, playful way. This is a great way to learn and teach your children about different situations and inspire meaningful conversations with kids. Toddlers will also love playing "I spy Pink" and naming the familiar objects throughout the book. The book is set against the beautiful backdrop of Trinidad's colourful Carnival at the Queen's Park Savannah.
All the books have a Caribbean feel and story line to it, but not in an old-fashioned way, they explain things in a fresh, modern way and are fun and exciting to read.
The Children's Books are available at Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
If you are interested in owning any of the books, you can ask your parents to go online at www.caribbeanchildren.com, www.amazon.com or www.xlibris.com to order your books. For more information or to join the mailing list with events and news, you can contact Joanne at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Joanne said it would be exciting to have something out on the St. Maarten/St. Martin culture. Local St. Maarten/St. Martin authors interested in working together can send in their work.
Email Joanne or check out
