Brown Sugar and Spice, a new children’s book that highlights Caribbean history, was launched today (December 15, 2009) in Trinidad. The book was written by Betty Peter and it targets 9 to 14-year-olds. With a great sense of humor and adventure, Brown Sugar and Spice explores colonial days, war (World War II), and illness as seen through the eyes of a young girl, Harriet.

Toute Bagai Publishing (which produced the book) describes the book as follows: Laugh out loud at Harriet’s hilarious antics as she moves among various islands in the West Indies. In this lively tale Harriet experiences malaria, wards off evil spirits, wakens to a German attack, builds a tree house village, terrorizes teachers, spies on adults, captures thieves and ultimately saves the day.

Toute Bagai Publishing (also the producers of MACO magazine) interviewed Betty Peter. When asked what inspired her to write this book, she explains:

“I started writing this story for my daughter Samantha. I wanted to document for her, those times when I was growing up in the West Indies, for this a part of our history. This is another story of those times for there is never a single story. And I thought, why not share my story with a wider audience? I was concerned that there were not enough stories written by West Indian writers for young readers. Stories where West Indian children could see themselves reflected in those stories. Where they could recognize our Caribbean landscape. Where they could relate to our birds and fruit and flowers. And yes! A mango tree, not an apple tree and ships that sail on a Caribbean sea! Our young people are growing up absorbed by other cultures, other fictions, other mythologies. We need to reclaim our Caribbean heritage.”

For full article and interview, see http://www.macocaribbean.com/

The book may be purchased directly from Toute Bagai Publishing: info@macomag.com