Looking for a Jumbie

It's getting dark, so Naya's mother calls her to come to bed. But Naya says that she's not scared of the Jumbies, creatures from Caribbean stories similar to fairies and trolls that come out at night. Naya's mom tells her that Jumbies are only in stories, but Naya goes searching for one anyway. She doesn't find a scary Jumbie, but she does discover an interesting cast of mythical creatures from Caribbean folklore. Every creature she encounters is nothing like she imagined, a helpful reminder that you can't always believe what you read in stories. This is an adorable tale of a girl's mission to find legendary figures that will be familiar to some readers and brand-new to others. Each creature is presented in a visually pleasing way. The bright images are the perfect way to illustrate this upbeat story. The layout and size of the sentences vary depending on the page or the background image, which makes for a dynamic reading experience. VERDICT A vibrant and entertaining tale filled with mythical creatures from Caribbean stories that is perfect for Halloween and year-round.—Myiesha Speight, formerly at Towson Univ., Baltimore