Kreyòl Books
In our field research, PILH visited many rural schools. Their disturbing lack of resources for use in teaching reading, especially a lack of books or an alphabet chart, led us to find partners to create these Kreyòl materials. Kreyòl speaking instructors delivered the accompanying workshops to the teachers gathered in groups in the village libraries’ community gathering space. So anxious for the training were the teachers that there was an overflow crowd. Independent evaluation responses by the teachers and trainers were very high, with both requesting additional training.
Jesula Ap Apran Li (Jesula Learns to Read)
Author: Dr. Peter Manuel
Illustrator: Jerry Rosenbert Moise (Jerry Graffiti Haiti)
Translated/Adapted: Milady Auguste
Summary: Every year a woman named Carline visits Jesula’s village with new books to read to the children. Jesula loves these books and Carline teaches her how to read on her own. Jesula shares the gift of reading with her family and her community and she grows into a successful young woman.
Malachi Bay Tout Vilaj La Manje (Malachi Feeds the Village)
Author: Cherilyn Flemming
Illustrator: Enine Fleurantin
Translated/Adapted: Milady Auguste
Summary: While by the river collecting water Malachi finds some seeds. He plants the seeds and they grow and grow. His seeds become the main ingredient for the Haitian specialty “Soup Joumou.” The village comes together to share Malachi’s soup and stories of Haitian history and independence.
Serafina
Author: Kathryn Carter
Illustrator: Jemson Guerrier
Translated/Adapted: Milady Auguste
Summary: Serafina is a donkey but she is not like the other donkeys. Instead of working, Serafina loves to play with the children. This makes her owner mad since he can’t see a use for Serafina, but Serafina’s friend Joseph finds a job that’s perfect for her!
Istwa Konpé Kra Ak Konpé Po (The Adventures of Mr. Kra and Mr. Po)
Author: Dr. Peter Manuel
Illustrator: Dishka Joseph
Adapted/Translated: Milady Auguste
Summary: Mr. Kra and Mr. Po are two frogs who are tired of their life and decide to go on an adventure. The two see some cows and decide to go swimming in milk. They splash and play in the cream but it becomes too thick and they are trapped! Now the frogs must try to find a way to escape!
Bél Zetwal Nan Syel Ansdeno (A Starry Night in Anse d’Hainault)
Author: Madeline Jenkins
Illustrator: Anev
Translated/Adapted: Milady Auguste
Summary: Stella is the smallest star in the sky over Anse d’Hainault. She wants to be the most glittering star in the sky! But try as she might, Stella is still a little star in a big dark sky. The other stars decide to help Stella to be noticed and they all dance and shine together.
Mitan (Half-Time)
Author: Ken Carter
Illustrator: Garry Bathol
Adapted/Translated: Milady Auguste
Summary: Frederic is bored and hungry. While his friends play soccer he wanders down to the river to skip stones. Across the river he spots some mangos, the perfect half-time snack for him and his friends!
While children learn best in their Mother Tongue, few primary level books have been available in Haitian Kreyòl. To address this issue, PILH, encouraged by a conversation one day at the Haitian Kreyòl Academy, formed a Rotary International collaboration team with the Australian Rotary Club of Encounter Bay and Dr. Peter Manual to develop six easy-reader books. Young readers were able to encounter stories about their own culture in their own Haitian Kreyòl language. Haitian linguists edited the Kreyòl.
PILH, the Flassef Foundation and Haiti Education and Production Initiatives (HEPI) to prepare and provide training in sharing picture books and reading materials. Wall and student-sized alphabet charts were donated to kindergarten through 2nd-grade classrooms. Despite political unrest and COVID, Dr. Sara Mansbach along with HEPI leaders Dottie Kelley and Janet Deaver provided 8 total days of training at 25 schools with grades K-4 through 2nd: 95 teachers and 3800 students have been impacted. The project has been an excellent example of what can be achieved through international collaboration. For more information, please submit an inquiry below.
Kreyòl Alphabet Chart
Remember learning ABC songs and games growing up? The alphabet is the most important educational building block for reading. Until recently Haitian teachers and children have not had access to a chart with the correct phonemic sounds. The Haitian Kreyòl (Creole) language blends Taino, French, Afrikan, English, Portuguese and Spanish. Thus, there are many more letter sounds than in some alphabets.
The development of an alphabet chart seems simple. But, for this chart, PILH classroom tests and linguists’ input took 13 years! MIT’s Haiti-Initiative made the final suggestions. The illustrations reflect imagery familiar to children across geographic areas. Charts come in wall and desk sizes. Durable, printed on vinyl, and waterproof with UV inks, they are ideal for the tropics. This chart is copyrighted under the United States Library of Congress. To inquire or purchase charts, email: danlinginfelter@gmail.com
Alfabè Kreyòl Mwen (My Creole Alphabet)
AUTHOR: Partners in Literacy Haiti and Linginfelter Arts, LLC; ILLUSTRATOR: Daniel Linginfelter; TRANSLATED/ADAPTED: Global Collaboration, including MIT, and many other worldl renowned linguists. SUMMARY: Drawn by graphic designer Dan Linginfelter, this unique chart has been researched and refined collaboratively over a 12 year period of evolution. It was field tested by Claude Saint-Natus and teachers across Haiti and has had global input from its conception by Martin Blampied of the Dominican Republic and the UK. Professor Michel DeGraff, Director of MIT-Haiti Initiative and Fellow of the American Linguistic Society was also instrumental in verifying Kreyòl language specifics and updates. This chart has been copyrighted, registered with the Library of Congress, Washington D,C., U.S.A, Registration Number: VAu-1-427-475 (All rights reserved).