JUMBO

Heath’s picture book tells of a Trinidadian peanut seller, famous for his showmanship.

Drawing upon personal recollections and “a bit of fiction,” Heath relates the tale of Jumbo, a smiling, bearded Black man with dreadlocks wearing a Rastafarian hat banded in red, gold, and green called a tam. He sells roasted peanuts at sporting events across Trinidad in the mid-to-late 1970s, and although he charges twice as much as other nut-sellers, his product sells well because he puts on a good show. He chants slogans—“What’s in the pack is good for the back!”—and throws bags of nuts into crowds, unerringly landing them with customers. The people chant his name, and Jumbo dances. One day, he receives an order from heaven above; he launches a bag of peanuts out of the stadium and up to the sun, whereupon he’s elevated to Zion’s row (defined as the Rastafarian “Promised Land” in a glossary). Heath tells the tale in straightforward, boldfaced text that easily carries rhymes across pages and effectively captures the distinctive rhythms and intonations of Caribbean English: “He made his own price. / Others’ were a dollar. / But Jumbo’s? / His was a dollar twice.” The illustrations, credited to Prime Publishing Books, are somewhat generic but provide a sense of the color and spectacle of Jumbo’s performances.

A nostalgic tribute to a larger-than-life personality.