Hallworth (Down by the River: Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games, and Songs for Children) invites readers to sing, dance, clap and pantomime their way through five Caribbean folktales. Music and movement are central to each plot. For example, in the Jamaican story "Dancing to the River," captured Turtle outsmarts Watchman by using song and dance to escape to freedom. Bright cut-paper collages frame substantial blocks of text, with occasional pages fully devoted to art. Clementson (Crow and Hawk) employs a bold palette and a quasi-folk style. The swaying and singing of the characters give the illustrations a fluid feel, enhanced by strategic use of triangles, trapezoids and other geometric shapes. However, it can be difficult to follow the story visually, particularly as the same characters may appear several times in one illustration, albeit in different sizes or from different angles. At the end of each tale, Hallworth provides song scores and dance instructions for groups of children, making this title especially well suited to classroom use. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
