Preke Town — Gary Thompson

Preke Town is the name of a fictional, newly built community, set in Jamaica, W.I. It has modern features such as a solar powered facility room, a leading primary/elementary school and a surrounding perimeter fence with a secure entrance. However, the community is most interesting because of its occupants, especially the four children that are the focus of the story. Through the eyes of those four children nicknamed: Glad Bag, Lay-lay, Dulcimena and Yap-yap; the community shows itself to be one of excitement, wholesome learning, and continuous development for the families.

Glad Bag, Lay-lay, Dulcimena and Yap-yap are four, smart, ten-year-old children. They are each being raised in different types of households including two single parent households, a household with married parents, and a single grandparent household. Preke Town �" Being good is not so bad!, focuses on those children's move into the community and their development as friends thereafter. Together they face issues about sportsmanship, teamwork, responsibility, obedience, work versus play, and a host of others. Each adventure faced is another lesson learned and as a result, Preke Town introduces contemporary Jamaica as shaped by international influences and indigenous adages. The story reinforces the benefits of positive behavior and admonishes those antisocial behaviors that can become ubiquitous if left unchecked in youth.

Cultural issues such as how Rastafarians and women are viewed and treated at that age are evident. So in addition to other issues, the book creatively ventures into those cultural issues. One of the main characters, Yap-yap, for instance, is a devout Rastafarian whose father immigrates to Africa at the beginning of the story. Through his character, the normalcy of contemporary Rastafarians is highlighted. Similarly, Dulcimena, the lone female in the four member, children group, is given a strong voice and is shown both as a girl and as a leader.

Board games such as “loodi”, and playground games such as “stuck and pull” and “dandi-shandi”, are featured throughout the story. The book also includes a few sketched pictures and some interesting words that are intended to keep the book entertaining yet intellectually stimulating for young readers.

The book highlights the way children learn; it shows that the idea of stimulating visual and aural senses as much as possible to keep children attentive during lessons is important. Also, the way the single grandparent character, Granny, interacts with the children and earns their respect and trust by showing them respect and trust is also an interesting concept that should appeal to adult readers.

In short, Preke Town �" Being good is not so bad!, uses the first summer that four children spend together to tell the story of a new Jamaican community. The story takes us on a tour of behaviors, a journey of adages and a flight of ambitions. It is intended to be the first in a series written for children and parents alike.