Jamaica's Find (Reading Rainbow) (2024)

Jamaica finds uh kinda grey stuffed dog with black ears at the park which belongs to Kristin and the two of them share this unique bond that comes from pure innocence.

Oh! Major points for the little black girl who figures out the right thing to do almost all by herself, and the fact that the secondary character is the white girl. What a sweet story, perfect message, charming illustrations. Too bad it's not #ownvoices, but it reads as if it is, so imo it's still worth recommending.

This is a story about a little girl that finds some great things in the park. She decides to turn most of those things in to the park ranger; everything except a little stuffed dog. Jamaica takes the little dog home and shows it off to her family. Much to her surprise, instead of being happy about the dog, her family encourages her to return it to the ranger so that the rightful owner can find it. After long contemplation, she decides that her family is right and returns it to the park. While playing that day she makes a friend who explains that she is looking for her stuffed dog that she lost yesterday. Jamaica eagerly takes the girl to the ranger where she is happily reacquainted with her stuffed furry friend. This is a cute book to read to younger grades and really shows students the importance of honesty and doing the right thing.

Text-to-Self Connection

This is a great book to teach young children about honesty and what it means to do the right thing. When I was in elementary school, I took a bracelet that did not belong to me. I really liked it. After taking the bracelet, I felt really bad because I knew what it meant to the person that it did belong to. I did return to its owner. Taking things from others is not right. In this story, Jamaica realizes her error in judgement, and takes the stuffed animal to the lost and found. That same day, she found a girl looking for the stuffed animal that was lost. By doing the right thing, it allowed her to make a new friend.

This book is about a littlele girl who goes to park and finds a hat and stuffed dog that didn't belong to her, when she left the park for the day she returned the act the lost and found but kept the dog.. She got home and everyone was kind of making her feel guilty about taking home the dog.. SO the next day, first thing in the morning, she returned the dog. After she returned the dog she went and played on the playground and there was little girl who had lost her stuffed dog.. Jamaica being so nice, took the girl right to the lost and found where she had put it a little while before..
It was really good book. The book teaches some valuable lessons to readers. The book has many textual elements involved and all are shown through many parts throughout the book. I personally really enjoyed this book and the lessons it has to teach readers. I'd recommend this book for readers around the age of 6-8.

Nice book with a lovely message. I just love the way the mum dealt with the situation. 2yo enjoys it and totally understood.

Little Jamaica is a young girl who loves playing at the park. Whenever there is extra time, regardless of if she is alone or not, Jamaica will ride her bicycle to the park and swing on the swings, slide down the slide, or climb the jungle gym. One day, Jamaica is playing at the park alone after school when she comes across a small stuffed dog, worn from hugging, full of grass stains and missing a button nose. Jamaica quickly picks up the dog and places it into her bicycle basket, traveling home. At her house, her parents and brother quickly comment on the dog, even saying how it must belong to a girl “just like Jamaica”. The next morning, Jamaica decides to return the dog to the lost-and-found at the park, and the book continues with a somewhat clear ending that leaves the reader feeling both joy and pride for Jamaica.
In Jamaica’s Find, author Juanita Havill provides a book packed with themes and lessons. The story explores human nature, in that Jamaica — just like any child — enjoys finding new things, especially toys. It explores how people are naturally inclined to take things for themselves, only to realize the repercussions later. Continuing with that theme of human nature, the book provides readers with a sense of empowerment in that it shows how rewarding it is to do the right thing. Jamaica is a strong, attractive character because of her innately good morals and sense of what’s right and wrong — she realizes the significance of her actions and decides to return the dog without any pressure from her parents.
The illustrations in Jamaica’s Find are somewhat plain. They depict basic elements of the story — the physical characteristics of Jamaica and her family, the park, her house, and the stuffed dog. The color range is limited, although the details in Jamaica’s facial expressions — done in watercolor — show a high quality of craftsmanship and artistic skill. The illustrations are overall realistic and assist the text in displaying to the reader the specific qualities of the setting at hand.
Overall, the story, told in third person, portrays a situation in which children may come across often in their lives, and teaches a universal lesson that both younger and older children can apply to many different circ*mstances. The simplicity and feel-good nature of this book make it a story that children continue to enjoy.

Avery Schlosser
9/8/14
Jamaica’s Find

In the book Jamaica’s Find, the author Juanita Havill conveys the message that you should never take what’s not yours. In the book, we meet a young girl named Jamaica. While playing at the park one day, Jamaica finds a red hat and a stuffed dog by the slide. She takes the hat to the lost and found at the park, but she keeps the stuffed dog and takes it home with her. When she gets home, her family gives her a hard time about having the dog. They wont let her in the kitchen with it because they say it’s dirty and that she doesn’t know where it’s been. Her mother tells her that there is probably a little girl out there just like Jamaica who misses her stuffed dog. Jamaica goes to her room and the guilt of taking what was not hers overwhelms her. She decides to return the dog to the lost and found at the park. After Jamaica returns the dog, she runs into a little girl named Kristen and her mom walking to the park. Jamaica asks Kristen if she wants to play with her, and Kristen says she has to look for her dog first. Jamaica takes Kristen to the lost and found where she had previously returned the stuffed dog. At the end both girls are happy; Kristen because she found her lost dog, and Jamaica because she did the right thing by returning the dog. I really enjoyed this book because it conveyed such an important message and because the pictures were so beautifully painted. Although this book has long sentences with smaller words, young kids will still enjoy it because of the big bright pictures and relatable storyline.

Jamaica's find is about a little girl who goes to the park and finds a red hat and a stuffed dog. She takes the hat to the lost and found at the park, but keeps the dog and takes it home. Jamaica tells her mother what she found and she says that she returned the hat, but she liked the stuffed dog and wanted to keep it. Her mother was proud that she returned the hat, but said she should have returned the dog too. Jamaica's family says the dog is dirty and not to put it on the table. Jamaica gets upset and decides she wants to take the dog back to the park. She takes it back and gives it to the man in the lost and found that she gave the hat to yesterday. Jamaica goes to play at the park and meets a little girl who is looking for something. It turns out the little girl lost a stuffed dog, so Jamaica takes the little girl to the lost and found and she gets her dog back.
The age range of this book is primary. Jamaica is around 6 or 7 years old and little girls and boys could relate to finding something that they like, but realizing that another child might miss the toy or object.
The artistic elements are nice. The pictures look like they are painted with watercolors. The pictures look soft and inviting for the reader.
I recommend this book because it is relatable. Children lose things all the time and it also sends a good message that you should return something that does not belong to you.

I have read most of the Jamaica series by Juanita Havill and illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien. I like Jamaica's Find in that it presents a learning situation with a moral dilemma that Jamaica has to work through and has gentle advice from her family. The book captures a moment of growth in a child's life that all children can relate to and emphasize with. Anne Sibley O'Brien illustrations capture Jamaica's emotions and thoughts. The composition and sensitivity of the illustrations expand on the text and help the reader connect with the characters.
Jamaica and her family are African-American and her experiences are universal. This too is a good lesson in and of itself.
Jamaica's Find has numerous awards: Child Study Children's Book Award, Bank Street College, Children's Choices award, Children's Trade Books, Children's Book of the Year award, Library of Congress, all 1986, and Ezra Jack Keats New Writer award, 1987.

Age Range: 4 - 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: 460L

"Jamaica's Find" written by Juanita Havill is about a little girl who finds a stuffed dog at a park, and as any child is expected to do they want what they've found for themselves. When bringing this dog back home, her family expresses to Jamaica that it is not right for her to keep something that was not hers. She pleaded that it would be okay to keep the dog because she wanted it. Now Jamaica in the beginning of this book displays the young innocent selfishness that any kid would but she quickly then begins to realize and determines that she needs to do the right thing. The story finishes warm heartedly, with both little girls happy. One gets her stuffed dog back and the other begins a new friendship. The lesson from this story is though you may not want to do it, the right decision is always the best one.

This story can relate to many, not only children, but adults too. Some go through major complications of not knowing what to do when making decisions from right or wrong. This book, "Jamaica's Find" teaches a lesson to all and that is to pick and choose wisely from what is wrong to what you know is right.

Jamaica’s Find is a realistic fiction book for grade 3 and above. The book won the Ezra Jack Keats Award in 1987. The story is about a little girl playing at the playground. She happens to find a hat and a teddy bear while she is there. She goes to the lost and found and turns in the hat but she does not turn in the bear. She decides to take the bear home with her. Jamiaca’s mother ask about the bear and she tells her mother where she found the bear. Jamaica wants to keep the bear but her mother explains that some other child may be looking for it. She decides to take the bear to lost and found even though she did not want to. When Jamaica went back to the playground she meets a little girl who is looking for her bear. Jamaica was happy to be able to tell her new friend where she could get her bear back. This was a good book to teach young children how to make the right decisions. It can be used to help young children to understand that the right thing to do is not easy but is the best solution. It was a simple book with a strong message.

This book tells the story of a little girl, Jamaica. It begins with her playing alone at the park one day. While there, she finds a red hat, which she returns to the lost and found, as well as a stuffed animal dog she decides to keep. Later that night, her mother praises her for returning the hat, telling her she did the right thing, then suggests she maybe should have returned the dog as well. After dinner she begins to feel guilty about keeping the stuffed animal, so she talks to her mom and decides to return it the next day. The story ends with Jamaica making a new friend.
The understanding and teaching tone of this book reminds children that doing the right thing will make you feel better, which is the general theme of the book. The author introduces the idea in a gentle manner that lets kids understand it without being told. The illustrations on each page help depict how Jamaica is feeling thorough out the entire book. Her joy and confusion and happiness can all be seen in the pictures.

Jamaica’s Find is an inspiring book that displays a young girl who is an innocent and appealing character. The young girl Jamaica finds a hat along with a stuffed animal dog that is not hers in the park. After finding the hat she returns it. Upon returning the hat she decides to keep the dog and in doing this she discovers her conscience. Aware of her new state of mind she feels the need to be honest.

The illustrator allows the pictures to look as though they were painted with watercolor, helping show how children are innocent and naive. The pictures are inviting and allow the reader to be captivated in the soft ambiance they create.

At the beginning of the book Jamaica displays normal behavior for a child of her age with the mentality of “finders keepers”, but soon discovers the need to do the right thing. The moral of the story is that although you might not want to do something, the right decision is always the best decision. It also helps children depict right from wrong.

The book "Jamaica's Find" by Juanita Havill is a Children's picture book.

The book was about a Jamaica finding some items left at the park. She turned in a hat, but held on to something else she liked. She took it home and her mother explained that some child might be looking for it. I gave this book 4 stars because the message of the book was good. (If you find something you should always try to find the owner if possible because you don't know what it means to them). I would read this book to my students so they get the right message. It will teach them responsibility and the right thing that should be done. I think this book will be appealing to children because of the puppy on the cover.

Text-to-Text Connection: How is the topic, theme, or story elements connected to a different children’s book?

I read this book with my grandmother when i was a little girl. We would read it together every night before I went to bed. I like reading this book to children because it has a good lessson about being honest. Little Crocs Purse by Lizzie Findlay is another book about honesty. Little croc found a purse under the bushes and had to decide if he was going to keep it or try to find the owner.He ends up returning the purse and received a big reward. Jamaica Find has the same lesson about honesty Jamica finds a stuff dog and took him home but her conscience convinced her to find its owner. Both of these books are about honesty,thoughtfulness and helping others.

This book is about a littlele girl who goes to park and finds a hat and stuffed dog that didn't belong to her, when she left the park for the day she returned the act the lost and found but kept the dog.. She got home and everyone was kind of making her feel guilty about taking home the dog.. SO the next day, first thing in the morning, she returned the dog. After she returned the dog she went and played on the playground and there was little girl who had lost her stuffed dog.. Jamaica being so nice, took the girl right to the lost and found where she had put it a little while before..

This was a really good book I enjoyed. It kind of taught a not to steal type of moral. I'd recommend this book to someone probably who is around the age of six or seven.

The story is nice. It shows how nice is when people is honest and friendly. It does not matter what is your skin color as long as you have your heart filled with clean thoughts and have a good disposition to make others happy. Life is short and why not make it easier and pleasant to yourself and others? Little good things you do toward people can be the difference to change the world.

Extension:
Have a discussion with children. Be emphatic in letting them know that the color of skin does not determine the difference. What it counts are the values a person has, like: personality, integrity, honesty, and many other factors that make a person different from others.

Does the author have something to say to a child? Yes, the message is very clear

What message (theme) is the author trying to convey? You can’t just keep something you find – the person who lost it probably wants it back.

Does the book allow a child to share in human emotion? Yes, I think most children can relate to what Jamaica was experiencing. It is hard to do the right thing.

Does the book respect the audience? Yes, the book does a good job of not passing judgment on Jamaica’s original decision, but allows her mother to give her council that assists her in making the right choice.

Jamaica's Find is a great book that allows for children to have a text-self connection. Often times children find things that do not belong to them. The right action would be to return the lost items to a lost and found. Instead, Jamaica decided to keep the stuffed animal she's found on the playground to herself. That night she is overcome with guilt. What if the person looking for their stuffed animal was terribly sad? What if the person thought they would never see their beloved stuffed animal again? Jamaica then makes a decision to return the stuffed animal to the lost and found so that it can be rightfully returned to its owner.

A story that makes you feel the struggle of a little girl when she finds a stuffed toy and doesn't want to take it to the lost and found. Jamaica finds a hat and a stuffed dog at the playground. She returns the hat to the lost and found easily, but keeps the dog. After she gets home she starts feeling the tugs of guilt that maybe the dog belonged to another child who is missing it. Its a great story and teaches children about empathy.
The story line offers children a variety of things to think about, question, and consider. It includes a thick, rich plot.It relates to my topic because of the cultural group. This is a realistic fiction.

Jamaica is a young girl who finds a stuffed animal at the park. She adores the stuffed bear, but her family advises her to return the stuffed bear to the lost and found. Her returning the bear makes the owner relieved that he has his stuffed bear back.

This book teaches a good lesson about never keeping items that do not belong to us. Even though Jamaica found the bear, her parents taught her the right thing to do was to return it where she found the bear.

I would use this book to teach story elements. This book has a distinct setting. Also the characters and problem and solution; this book would be a great one to do a mini lesson on to practice identifying these literary elements.

An outstanding book! It explores a child's world from a child's view and captures the difficulty of making hard choices between right and wrong. It "shows" rather than "tells" and avoids all preachiness. The parents are wonderful role models for us all, and I love how well and with such acceptance, Havill conveys a range of feelings. This should be in everyone's personal library.

Recommended ages: 4-10

Have you ever lost something that you wished you could find? Or better yet, found something that you wanted to keep? This is a situation that many children can relate to. Young readers will be able to connect to this text through the eyes of at least one of the characters presented. This book focuses on making the right decision when in one of the mentioned situations. This book can be used in the classroom to discuss good decision making skills.

Jamaica's find is a short story about a little girl who finds a few things on the playground and has to make the decision to turn the
Items in to the lost and found. This would be a great text to use to teach past tense verbs. It also would be great for teaching students to do the right thing. Children lose things all the time, and if they lost something they'd want someone to turn in their belongings.

The book started out a little slow, but by the end, my eyes were opened to infinite possibilities!
-conversation starter: "Have you ever found something that didn't belong to you? What did you do?" Or "How do you think Jamaica felt when she found the dog, took the dog home, returned the dog, and found Kristin? How about Kristin when she lost her dog and then Jamaica gave him back again?"
-writing prompt: wanted/lost poster or thank you note to someone for returning the item

This would be a good book to instill the idea of not taking things that don't belong to you. The little girl finds a dog and takes it home- her guilty conscience enables her to keep it. The next day she gives it to lost and found. She sees a girl on the playground looking for something... read to find out the rest. But i liked it!

This is a great story to read to prek on up to 2nd graders about not takign things that don't belong to you. In the end of the story when the dog gets returned to the little girl that jamacia took it from, she is so happy and it jsut shows kids how much it can help someone if you return things you find rather than just takign them.

Diverse characters in this book which I love! This book covers the lesson of telling the truth and returning somthing that was found. This would be a good read aloud for a class that had a students that took things and claimed them for their own. I believe this is an important character trait to teach, and this would be a great book a "Truth" lesson.

Jamaica's Find is a great book to read to students in the beginnig of the year or whenever you feel that honesty should be dicussed in the classroom. The little girl Jamaica finds a stuffed animal and decides that she should find the owner of the stuff dog she found at the park. Honesty is a great topic to cover with young children in the classroom.