Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree: French Creole Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes

by Chantal Grosléziat, Chantal Grosléziat (Compilation), Paul Mindy (Producer)

Through colorful tunes and splashy illustrations reminiscent of the vibrant flamboyant tree, this collection celebrates life’s passages and various island rituals in the tropical isles of Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, and Reunion. Lyrics are reproduced in the original French Creole dialects and translated into English, followed by notes on the origin and cultural context of each song. The accompanying CD features 30 traditional songs recorded with indigenous acoustic instruments and exquisitely performed by women, men, and children. This uplifting, enchanting production captures the joie de vivre evoked in the original repertoire, making it an absolute delight to musical ears.

Genres: Picture Books

52 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I found this collection of materials pretty pleasing on a variety of levels.  As part of my family's planned upcoming trip through the Caribbean, there are a few French-speaking islands that we plan to see, and our plans to view these places provide for a lot of interest in French-speaking culture as well.  I have always been interested in nursery rhymes and lullabies as a whole, not least because there is a great deal of insight to be gained in paying attention to the sort of culture that is aimed at children.  Some cultures seek to protect children from an understanding of the pain and difficulties of life, as is the case with our own, but plenty of cultures throughout history have seen it as necessary to point out to children the reality of existence and to some of its horrors, and this book, although it is somewhat simple and aimed at a young audience, does a good job in pointing out the sort of evils and problems that Creoles of the French islands (mostly, but not entirely, in the Caribbean) saw children as needing to be able to handle, and that makes for some compelling reading.

This particular short book starts with abbreviated stanzas of nursery rhymes and lullabies illustrated cutely, with the verses showing the title, location, and some of the material of the rhyme.  We have material from Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, and Reunion, with some islands (Guadeloupe in particular) being very well represented.  Some of the rhymes are told from the point of view of people, some of animals, and they deal with such subject matter as family, food, religion, and other subjects, some of which deal with questions like the devil as well as the struggle to gain strength with the limited diet that many poor people had, like breadfruit.  After this there is a brief discussion about the songs themselves as well as longer versions of the songs in both French Creole as well as English translations that describe the songs being sung as well as their message and meaning.  There is also a cd that accompanies this particular book that allows the reader to listen to these songs sung as part of the children's repertoire of Creole music, which also adds somewhat to the reading experience.

Admittedly, I am not particularly familiar with the children's repertoire of music in the various French islands that exist in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa.  That said, there is a great deal of interest here.  The songs present the sorts of fears and concerns that children and adults faced in such societies, whether those fears related to death and the afterlife or even having enough food to grow big and strong and survive into adulthood.  Even when the poems are told from the point of view of animals, there is still this concern about the birds becoming prey to the hunger of the people around.  A beautiful bird, after all, may be a tasty addition to someone's pot, and may be the difference between a child growing up with some protein or being limited to not very nourishing food that is all that is available to those struggling to survive.  The poems tell a serious story and provide a context to a life where children were expect to know the facts of life and how to deal with problems of scarcity from the very beginning, and they demonstrate the sort of folk wisdom that can be found in lullabies and nursery rhymes that is often overlooked by those who do not think childhood is or should be filled with painful truths about existence.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like this book at all for children. The poems and lullabies are very strange.

I am using it to learn basic Creole for a missions trip, and for that purpose it is very good. The included CD with all of the songs is a great help for hearing the pronounciations.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little resource! The music is beautiful, with a variety of authentic voices, simple and appropriate instrumentation that creates a little musical world, skillful modern piano interpretations. Great little explanations and descriptions of each song at the end, highlighting a few of the meanings and uses behind the music, as well as the significance of the instrumentation. This is great! Be sure to flip to the back! The illustrations are colourful, sweeping, and a little surreal. The translations of the songs felt very awkward, though, and I think it would have been more effective to highlight the explanations of the songs throughout the book instead of just these weird-sounding translations. Thanks for the songs!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE! This book has an audio CD and gives the the country of origin for each one of the rhymes and poems.