Look Back!

K-Gr 2—The story begins with Grannie asking young Christopher, "I ever tell you about Ti Bolom?" She follows her question with a loud, "Eh Kwik!" to which Christopher answers, "Eh Kwak!" a call-and-response refrain traditionally used for storytelling in Dominica. Grannie then goes on to tell him of a mysterious creature that haunted her childhood wanderings. Wherever she went, Ti Bolom was sure to follow, yet, try as she might, Grannie could never catch sight of him. The woman keeps the boy (and readers) on edge as she recounts the many close calls she had in keeping her distance while also trying to see what he looked like. After trying to capture a glimpse of him using the bottom of a polished pot as a kind of mirror to look behind her, she ends her part of the story by saying she became so afraid that she never tried to look for him again. This gives Christopher an idea to go looking for the creature as well, using a mirror and a flashlight. He encounters Ti Bolom right away and here is where the author and illustrator make a peculiar and unsatisfying decision: they reveal Ti Bolom's image in Christopher's mirror, an image that is very much like the ubiquitous smiley-faces that originated in the '60s, followed by an uncharacteristic comment made to Christopher by the creature. It just doesn't add up.