Folktales with Callaloo Kids

Imagine Together

In this story, we meet Winston who has been magically whisked away from New York City to the island of Tobago. There he meets a variety of characters from Caribbean folklore. 

Winston meets Papa Bois, the old man of the forest. He gets chased by a Lagahoo, a half-man, half-wolf and learns his lesson from Mama D’lo. Her name means “mother of the water” and she’s part woman, part anaconda. 

Enjoy this reading of Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale to learn the story of Winston’s adventure. 

• Watch the video again and this time act out the folklore characters in the book. Pay attention to each character’s unique body design such as the half-human, half-wolf body of the Lagahoo, or the snake body of Mama D’lo.
• Get into character by using clothes from around the house like socks, scarves, or gloves to create a costume like the characters in the book.

Create a Creature:

Trinidad and Tobago folklore is a blend of African, French and Indigenous cultures. You can see this blend through the folkloric characters Winston meets. Many details of these characters are often shared in only descriptions and words. Artists will use these descriptions to help interpret what these creatures could look like. 

• Using paper, pencil, crayons, or markers try designing your own versions of the magical beings and creatures in the book.

Learn more about the cultural and historical concepts of the story in this guide to Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale. 

Enjoy more Callaloo Kids with stories and songs.

For more books to read with your children that support conversations about race and racism, please click here for the Conscious Kids Library book list.