James Berry Quotes

“On his left. the woman looking up at him had the deepest and saddest hungry eyes he ever saw. ‘Take this corncob.’ he said, handing it to her. The woman thanked Anancy. ‘You are on a journey?’ she asked.”

“Anancy Spiderman had no idea what he was going to do today. But he knew something would happen if he started moving. He left his house and started walking along the road.”

“Anancy walked on, carrying the gourd of water. He came to a family digging their land, making earth mounds and planting yams in them. Everyone sweated -the young man, the young woman, the mother, the father. Anancy gave the sweating family the gourd of water.”

“The mother was grateful. She took the oil from Anancy. She thanked him. She said ‘You took one of my children. Too many. Too many to feed. Too many to clothe. But first, promise promise you’ll look after him.”

“Anancy walked on, carrying the yam. He came to a little open shed where a blacksmith was beating a piece of iron. As he worked the blacksmith ate charcoal with his sweat all over it.”

“Anancy held up the yam to the blacksmith. ‘Oh, please don’t eat charcoal. Don’t. Take this yam. Take it, roast it, and eat it instead. The blacksmith took the yam. He picked a short-handled hoe and gave it to Anancy.”

“Anancy walked on, carrying the hoe. He came to a man who was struggling to break palm nuts open with a stone. Anancy gave the man the how to use.”

“Anancy walked, carrying the half bottle of palm oil. He came to a woman with ten children around her in their open yard. She was oiling her children bodies with her spittle.”

“Anancy sat down at the roadside. He said: ‘Skygod, a good good morning to you!’ He waited. No answer came from Skygod. ‘That’s all right with me,’ he said to himself. ‘I’will just wait!’ All prepared to wait as long as ever.”

“Anancy got up and started walking again, this time carrying the corncob in his hand. Anancy Spiderman came to a stream. Women were there washing, beating clothes on big rocks.”

“Everybody did everything to stop me. I was allowed no chance whatsoever. No chance to talk to Mum about the bike I dream of day and night! And I knew exactly the bike I wanted.”

The Mouth-Organ Boys. This one was about a boy who wanted to belong to a group so badly that he couldn’t see the bad way they treated him. He can’t see that his mother is already giving him all she can and all he needs.

They tease and torment Elias all the time. But the day the gang tries to steal Elias’s pet mongoose is the day that Granny steps in...

Gustas is nearly killed in the hurricane, trying to save his banana tree. Gustas fights his way through a Caribbean hurricane to save his ‘navel string’. Its fruits wil buy him a longed-for pair of shoes, so that at last Gustas can go on outings with the the cricket team.

Man-Man and Nenna patrol the coconut plantation in dead of night, as rat-bats fly and criss-cross in the darkness.

“Her brother Man-Man didn’t stir a muscle. His finger against the trigger of the double - barrelled shotgun just stayed there. The gun was held down at his side, all firm and solid.”

They’re out to catch interlopers, and Nenna is the only village schoolgirl to “walk property” with a gun..”

Elias has a rubbery-looking, lame leg; he’s nicknamed ‘Dancer’ by Bigfellow and the other boys because of the funny way he walks.

Becky longs for a bicycle and Fanso longs to find his father who walked out thirteen years ago.

“My parent came from Jamaica. But because I was born in London, and live and go to school there, I never dreamt I could’ve become so fascinated by my father’s birthplace and home village.”