The book, The Magic Callaloo by Trish Cooke and illustrated by Sophie Bass is one of those books where I picked it apart to make my overall score. First, I looked at the big picture which is almost a 5. The only reason it wasn’t a full 5 (and a 4.75) is because the text was crowded on the page and it was a smidgen on the longer side. The details included made me wonder if it would have been better as a novel, or what is considered an early chapter book, and not a picture book. This is partly because I read it online, though it is available. Another part was the illustrations. They were again, almost another full five. Sometimes they, too, were a bit crowded. Then there were pieces individually. (Yes, this I liked; No, I did not like that.) These added up to a 3.75.
What is this story I was picking apart? It is a retelling of the Rapunzel story with a wonderful Caribbean flare. This is why the illustrations really were amazing. Grand colors and clever influences of the culture all come together. Again, slightly crowded at times, but that really is a small issue overall. We basically know the story (a childless couple wants a child, there is a wish made, and a kidnapped child). The new parts include instead of a witch there is an evil man; instead of a flower or a tasty treat in the garden of the witch, it is a magical tree, and instead of a prince saving our heroine, she finds a way (with the help of a wise woman) to help herself.
There were a few elements that made me think of a bit of Cinderella (especially a Disney-version) with animals loving her, having to do chores and a fairy godmother-like character. There is a preface where the author gives information about the inspiration of the story as well. It is overall a nice, strong rating of 4 book.
