Farewell to Gloria

This is a reprint from my self-published chap book called Hedge Apple and Devil's Claw (1991-1995).

Here are a few of the hundred (or so) drawings I did to be used as prompts for teaching lessons from Miss Tate's books. The teacher would hold up the drawing and ask something like, "What do you see?" Even if the kids did not recognize my folk art renditions, they soon memorized the shapes so that they could respond with "I see a lot of bananas" or "I see a bunch of bananas," and so forth.

I showed my mouth watering doughnut portrait to another Peace Corps teacher who had lived in Pohnpei longer than I had. She remarked, "No one has ever seen a glazed doughnut on this island. They will probably think it is mold."

These are supposed to be papayas. I know; I should have quit while I was ahead.

And this is taro, a root crop that grows in mangrove swamps. Although few people cultivated taro in my neighborhood, it was a good example of a non-count noun, as was wood, the next and final visual aid in this gallery.