On one double-page spread, for example, the text tells of Jamaica’s mother reminding her that she needs to come and dry the dishes and of Jamaica’s response that she doesn’t feel good.
The richness of Jamaica’s inner struggle of conscience, however, is told entirely through O’Brien’s watercolor illustrations. Simple narrative drives the plot and is interspersed with conversations Jamaica has with her family, with the park office employee, and with her new friend Kristin at the end of the book. Literary elements at work in the story: This story is told in the third person and focuses almost entirely on Jamaica. Jamaica helps reunite the girl with her lost toy. She then meets a little girl on the playground searching under the slide for a dog she lost the previous day. She takes the dog home but soon begins to feel guilty about her new pet, especially when she overhears her mother explain to the rest of the family, “It probably belongs to a girl just like Jamaica.” Jamaica turns the toy in to the park office the next morning. (Sept.Summary: Jamaica is thrilled to find a stuffed dog, “worn from hugging,” under the slide at the park.
The pictures of Jamaica and Brianna are convincing an additional pleasure are the vividly rendered bit players (Jamaica's classmates and family) who grace the background of nearly every page. The simple, direct prose finds its complement in O'Brien's cozy, realistic watercolors. As in her previous Jamaica books, Havill displays a clear grasp of what matters to children. Hurt, Jamaica retaliates with a remark about Brianna's own footwear.
When Jamaica returns to school, resplendent in a brand-new pair of cowboy boots, Brianna is once again ready with a put-down. Like many younger siblings, Jamaica is often stuck wearing hand-me-downs, in this case, her big brother's ``old gray boots.'' After her friend Brianna makes fun of Jamaica for wearing ``boy boots,'' the resourceful heroine enlarges a hole in the toe of one of the offending galoshes, thus speeding up the need for a trip to the shoe store. Peer approval and the need for good communication are the themes of this quietly appealing story.
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