Jamaica Louise James

Down in the 86th Street subway station, a plaque bears the name "Jamaica Louise James, age 8." Who is Jamaica and what did she do? Sit back and enjoy because in this peppery story, Jamaica tells you all about it. With pictures as spunky as Jamaica Louise James herself, Amy Hest's inspiring tale reveals how important just one personeven someone aged eightcan be.

Amy Hest is a terrible artist. "Whenever children ask me why I don't illustrate my own books, I draw a dog for them. And they always say, 'Nice chicken, Mrs. Hest.' But I would love to be an artist, and perhaps that is why I wrote a story about someone who draws." Amy Hest lives in New York City.

Sheila White Samton also lives in New York City, half a block from Amy Hest. "We didn't know each other before the book. But now we run into each other all the time." She says that "it is a challenge and a pleasure to illustrate a book about someone who draws. It requires envisioning not only the person and her life, but how her life and character are revealed in her drawings."