The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley (Young Spirit Books)
Grade 3-4-A brief account of the musician's childhood in Jamaica, cowritten by his daughter. The two chapters cover the first five years of Marley's life with his mother and grandparents in Nine Miles, and a year he spent in Kingston. The book is full of conversations and descriptions of the young boy's thoughts and feelings as the father he has never known arrives and takes him to be educated in the city, and the writing is at times amateurish. An afterword sketches Marley's career. Framed full- and double-page illustrations in vibrant colors appear throughout. Unfortunately, they fall short of the folk quality to which they clearly aspire. While some young readers may be interested in Marley's life and music, the narrow focus of this book limits its appeal and usefulness.Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.