Songs of Papa's Island

by Barbara Kerley

Through an afternoon of lyrical stories, Mama "sings" to her daughter of their life and adventures on a tropical island. Papa's island is a place where you can feed fish straight from your hand, walk through clouds of butterflies, race hermit crabs on the beach, and watch geckos walk on the ceiling. Mama's stories celebrate the familiar rhythms between mother and daughter while capturing the sights and sounds of a unique and wonderful place.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 1995

About the author

Barbara Kerley was born in Washington, D.C. and has lived in many places, including Nepal and the tropical island of Guam. She has written about almost everything: 19th C iguanodons, Teddy Roosevelt, world peace, Mark Twain's donkey, and the pleasure of following your curiosity.

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet book of short stories (or songs, as they are referred to in the book) from mother to child that describe life several years ago when the mother and father lived on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean and prepared to have a baby. It's based on Barbara Kerley's real-life history of living on Guam and giving birth to her daughter there.

This was a magical book for us; it gave me shivers how much this book was virtually a carbon copy of our own story. We also lived on a small tropical island in the middle of the ocean (Okinawa) for several years and I gave birth to both of our girls there. Each story progresses through time, from before the mother discovers she's pregnant, to the early months, and then as she gets closer to having the baby and the baby's first year. My husband and I arrived in Okinawa a childless couple and left Okinawa when our girls were 1 and 3, which again is very similar to the book. Our girls also do not remember ever living there, so this was a wonderful opportunity to tell them these stories and our own, very similar versions.

The stories are short, entertaining and speak of a simpler life, lush with jungle plants and animals. Each story depicts a small slice of nature, almost like a haiku. This is a wonderful book of stories and one that I might even consider buying, as it truly mirrors our own experiences. We really enjoyed reading this story together and I love that it opened up another opportunity to remind our girls of our own stories.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich language story songs that were fascinating and rich from beginning to end. Felt like I travelled to Guam with the books gentle guidance.