Josephine's 'Magination

by Arnold Dobrin

Josephine, a Haitian child, walks the dusty road to market each week with her mother, who makes and sells brooms to support them. One day, Josephine bumps into an old peddler with toy animals woven from straw dangling from his huge brimmed hat. He gives her a tiny straw pig andtells her to use her imagination to discover new delights in life. Following his advice, Josephine surprises herself and her mother with an intriguing new twist to the brooms and greater success in the market place. The illustrations are clear, some in vibrant colors, and reflect the hot sun, showy flowers, and blue sea of tropical Haiti. The simple story sustains the mood well, and the characters are vividly portrayed.

Genres: Picture Books

46 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1973

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josephine lives with her mother, a broom-maker, who has so little but really wants a doll. One day, she decides to get creative. Perhaps, Josephine's circumstances may change, but only with a little imagination.

[Caleta Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wistful story of how Josephine fulfills a wish and discovers her own imagination at the same time. Josephine, a humble Haitian child lives her mother who make and sells broom at the market to support her. Sometimes Josephine accompanies her mother to the market. They walk without shoes on the hot, long, dusty road. Josephine was always interested in getting a real doll. One day while Josephine was exploring in the market she bumped into an old man who gave her a small straw pig and told her to use her imagination to discover her skill. She was inspired to find out what unique skill she has. Josephine used the old man’s advice and created a broom doll. She surprised herself and her mother with this unique creation. It was a success in the market place because it helps her mother to earn extra money.
This is a well, written fiction story for children 8-12 years. The story is told from the child’s point of view with characters that are both believable and convincing. The plot is well developed. An introduction is provided, which set the stage and the series of actions move the related sequence to a logical outcome. The author’s choice of words and sentence pattern are appropriate for the intended audience. The illustrations are clear, some in crisp vibrant colors, which compliment the text. The simple story sustains mood throughout and the characters are vividly portrayed.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I struck gold today at the used bookstore. Just when I was getting kind of depressed over the kinds of picture books people are publishing today I found this book and was delighted. While I'm all about diversity and inclusion in books, they've all been kind of feeling like they've been telling the exact same story over and over again, with no real distinguishing plots or characterizations. Josephine's 'Magination (1973) by Arnold Dobrin gave me hope again. I know it's older, but heck, this felt more whole and engaging than a lot of what's being published today, in my opinion.

In Haiti, Josephine lives with her mother who makes brooms that are taken to market. One day Josephine meets a toy peddler who gives her a beautiful toy pig made out of straw. When Josephine asks her how I make such a unique toy he smiles and says he used his 'magination. This gets Josephine thinking about her 'magination, especially since her mother is struggling to make any money off the brooms. What happens next is very wonderful and I just loved the entire story. It's wordy and a bit long, but it felt whole and complete and I loved it. It was the perfect blend of diversity, imagination, and inclusion, which I think is a step above what's being dished out today. A well-deserved 5/5 rating from me. Sadly it's out of print... figures!

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet picture book! Josephine goes to the market with her mother each week. She wishes she could afford a doll but usually she could buy some candy with the money her mother gave her from her broom sales. When Josephine bumps into the man with the hat that has little straw animals, and he gives her one and tells her she has to use her imagination. She wonders if she has one. Lyrical and beautiful language tell this story and both black and white and color illustrations fill the pages of this wonderful picture book which is full of heart.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly memorable book that I used to read at my Gran's house. The evocative descriptions of the place and food and the vibrant colours made it a wonderful book.

[Shannon McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully imaginative story about a little girl wanting a doll but can’t afford one! She meets a man at the market who use his imagination to make things. Josephine wonders if she can do the same.

The art is just right and would even tell the tale without words. The mixture of black and white illustrations and color are interesting contrasts.

There is a lot of descriptive detail that can be boring but because you want to know how she is going get her doll keeps it interesting. The book shows that all children big and small can use there imagination to come up with the most exciting things and what a wonderful thing imagination is!

[Purple Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always remembered this book fondly and I just came across it last night while searching for something else. Funny, I hadn't associated with Haiti in my memory. Weird. I'll have to read this with Ana.

We just reread it. She liked it! :)

[Josephine (biblioseph)]

I wonder if deleting star ratings is enough to screw the system. Will it make our reviews worthless to data miners? Please muse in the comments.

One of my absolute favorite books. Do read this and buy it for a child you know.

[Nb266 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl from Haiti. It is a great book to use to teach about creating things out of few materials.