Look Back! Book Review

Book Review 
Look Back!
Written by Trish Cooke
Illustrated by Caroline Binch
Published in May 2017

Why we chose this book:
Crocodile Books provided a review copy of this when they sent us This is the Chick.

Mom's Review

A grandmother describes a childhood experience in Dominica with her grandson.

The frame in Look Back! is that of a grandmother telling her grandson about catching Ti Bolom, the mischievous being who walks behind you at night and disappears when you turn around. Christopher, the grandson, is entranced by Grannie's story and unsure if Ti Bolom is fictional or real.

Grannie describes how she set out to catch Ti Bolom as a girl. Grannie's story drew me in so fully that I could see her as a girl in the forest, even without Binch's beautiful artwork. It is her task to bring food to an elderly neighbor, and she anticipates Ti Bolom following her as she returns home in the dark. On successive nights, she attempts to catch him, but he escapes each time. On her final try, a dog barks so loudly at her that she runs home in fear and resolves to never try and catch Ti Bolom again.

Christopher, fascinated and enchanted by the story, is certain that he has heard Ti Bolom following him down the hallway at night. He is determined to catch sight of Ti Bolom and uses what he learned from Grannie's stories to do so. The ending is magical. That's all I want to say about it, because I really think you should read it yourself.

Why? The bond between grandparent and grandchild is palpable. The grandmother's story is magical. Although Grannie's experience is specific to the Caribbean, that childhood certainty of seeing a legend is universal. Look Back! so well evokes that delicious uncertainty of myth. Is Ti Bolom real? Who am I to say he's not?

Bonus: 
Trish Cooke writes:
"When I was little,  Mum, Dad and my older brothers and sisters  were always talking about this fun place that I’d never been to and so I grew up imagining what it would be like to be in Dominica."
You can read more about her and her inspiration on her website.

Son's Review
(Age: almost 4)
Just a little anecdote. When I paused for a moment after reading the first couple of sentences, T commanded: "Keep reading!" And as soon as we finished, T asked to read it again.

Mom: Do you think Ti Bolom was real? Why?

Son: Yeah. I just do.

Mom: What did you like about Grannie?

Son: I liked that she told stories.

Mom: Would you want to be friends with Christopher? What would you do together?

Son: Yeah. Well what I would do with Christopher, I would take Christopher to the playground.

Mom: What would you do if you heard the "pattaps pattaps...huh huh huh" behind you?

Son: I wouldn't do anything. I would close my eyes shut.

Mom: What do you think of Ti Bolom?

Son: He's kinda scary because he's tricky.

Mom: It seems like Christopher likes to hear stories from his grandmother. Is that like anyone you know?

Son: I like to hear stories from Mommy.

Mom: How did you feel as we read Look Back!?

Son: I liked it.

Mom: What was the best part of this book?

Son: Where she told the story.

Mom: What would you ask Grannie if you could meet her?

Son: I would ask her, why does she tell that story?

Mom: What's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: Since it's about a granny and her grandchild.

Son: What was your favorite thing about the grandma.

Mom: My favorite thing about the grandma was that she didn't tell you if Ti Bolom was made up or real. You had to figure it out on your own. Do you have any other questions for me?

Son: I don't have any questions for you.