Why Clever Chrissie
The Clever Chrissie and Grandma Wiso series, we bring inquisitive readers on a hiatus bridge over three years of her life; from six years to nine years. Set in the Trinidad, Caribbean cultural nuances of the post-colonial times, the English-speaking lexicon/language and educational system and curricular content will feature. The era will locate Chrissie, her life and family in the late 60’s and early 70’s in Trinidad. Written via the prism of my childhood, there may be fictionalised and factual content and narratives. However, photographs of the current school will be shared.
Lastly, there will be both Standard English and the Trinbagonian dialect, with passing references to other European Colonial languages and their influences, such as Hindi, Spanish and French. The social and educational issues of the written and spoken ‘dialect’ ‘patois’ pidgin’ n ‘broken English’ has historically been a contested one. However, over time from enslavement through colonialism, independence and the new-colonial era Trinbagonians have found our identity and embraced our complex linguistic heritage into which our vernacular is firmly embraced as a multi-lingual repertoire of sound and cultural expressions. Where dialogue is introduced in dialect, it is in context and reflects the personality and nuances of both character and conversation. We celebrate our accents and dialect without apologies.
What Clients Said?
The Clever Chrissie and the Mango Stories is a beautiful and meaningful children’s book series that celebrates culture, kindness, imagination, and the power of young voices. The release of the third book, Compassionate Chrissie and the Magic Melons, is a wonderful milestone for Trinidadian children’s literature. Compassionate Chrissie and the Magic Melons is a book families, schools, and communities can proudly share with young readers. A joyful, culturally rooted, and inspiring addition to the Clever Chrissie series. I love her use of culture to underpin the narrative which give identity to millions of young African girls around the world!
A.Briggs
Publisher
Yishebah Baht-Gavriel is a gifted children’s author whose work carries the warmth of memory, culture, and grandmotherly wisdom. Her Chrissie stories are more than delightful children’s books; they are bridges between generations, inviting young readers into a world where mangoes, music, friendship, family, and imagination all have something important to teach.
What makes Yishebah’s writing so special is her ability to speak to children with tenderness, rhythm, and joy while still offering meaningful life lessons. Her stories celebrate sharing, kindness, creativity, cultural pride, and the beauty of everyday childhood experiences. Through characters such as Chrissie and GrandMa Wiso, she gives children stories that feel playful, familiar, and full of heart.
Ammi the Veggieman
Antiguan Artist
As a mother of a young child, I am always looking for books that do more than simply entertain. Yishebah Baht-Gavriel’s children’s stories have been such a beautiful addition to our reading time because they are warm, colorful, meaningful, and full of heart.
My child was immediately drawn to the bright illustrations, the mangoes, the music, and the playful rhythm of the words. But what I appreciated most was the deeper message woven through the story. Yishebah has a special gift for teaching children important values like sharing, kindness, friendship, listening, and respect without making the lesson feel heavy or forced.
There is something very comforting about the presence of GrandMa Wiso in the stories. She brings wisdom, love, culture, and that special grandmother energy that makes a child feel safe while learning. The Trinidadian flavor gives the book a richness that feels fresh, joyful, and authentic.
Mama Muumbi
Young Mother
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Our Books
The Chrissie children’s book collection by Yishebah Baht Gavriel is a warm, imaginative series centered around Chrissie, family storytelling, mangoes, childhood wonder, and meaningful life lessons. Drawing from the author’s Trinidadian childhood memories, love of children, background in psychology, and experience mentoring young writers, the books use playful stories to teach values such as sharing, compassion, creativity, ethics, friendship, and cultural memory.