On a vibrant Saturday morning in Bridgetown, more than 30 young children converged on the Barbados National Library Service located on Fairchild Street for an interactive Caribbean Storytime session led by acclaimed author Yolanda T. Marshall.
Marshall, a Canadian writer with mixed Barbadian and Guyanese heritage, brought a curated selection of her most beloved children’s works to the event. The lineup included fan favorites *Sweet Sorrel Stand*, *What’s in the Cookie Tin?*, and *A Piece of Black Cake for Santa*, alongside her latest release, *Marching North*—a picture book centered on Bajan cultural identity.
Though crafted for a young audience, each of Marshall’s stories weaves in nuanced themes tied to the lived experience of the Caribbean diaspora. Food traditions, musical heritage, cultural belonging, and the sacrifices that shape migrant journeys all emerge as core threads running through her work, creating stories that resonate with both children and adult attendees.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY conducted on the sidelines of the reading, Marshall opened up about the deep personal meaning this event held for her. Long before her in-person visit, she had discovered through online research that her titles were part of the Barbados National Library’s permanent collection, and she had made a promise to herself that she would visit the institution to host a reading on her next trip to the island.
“I’m so happy to be in the national library. For many years, I’ve looked online and seen that my books are housed here, and I promised myself that when I visited Barbados, I had to come here and do a reading,” Marshall shared.
A seasoned literary event host who leads hundreds of reading sessions each year across Canada, the United States, and multiple Caribbean nations, Marshall emphasized that this Bridgetown gathering stood out among her hundreds of annual engagements.
“Today was extra special to be present in Barbados, where my books have a home in the National Library. It was wonderful to interact with the kids who, like myself, are Caribbean-born children, and it was a wonderful day to celebrate literacy,” she added.