Celebrating Book Character Day—The Cat in the Hat, Anancy, and Marcus Garvey. 

By Faith P. Nelson • October 30, 2026

Outside of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings cosplay, how are adults having book fun? Do these cosplayers, students, teachers, and parents know about books by Caribbean authors? Do we have to wait for Caribbean books to be part of the zeitgeist before they are easily recognizable? Why can't there be a float in the Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn, where 100 children dance and wave as Caribbean book characters? Just a thought. Not all costumes have to be glitter bikinis and gossamer wings. Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Where's the list of Caribbean characters? And let's just stick with children's books for now.

So I put AI Search through its paces. I used the cosplay angle to search on Google's AI overviews. "How popular is Harry Potter cosplay?" The overview said that Harry Potter fandom is still passionate and rivals Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. It then offered to find me costume ideas, and I told it I would like costume suggestions for recognizable Caribbean literary characters for Book Character Day. I got three: Anansi the Spider, Miss Louise Bennett, and Antoinette Cosway, of Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre fame. Good choices. Next, I searched AI Verse Docent.

More Caribbean and diaspora books to consider for Book Character Day on October 30. The Jumbies appeared in the AI search results below. 

Partial list from AI (ChatGPT's) Response

I selected these four from the list because the characters make great seeds for inspiration. View the complete list to see more engaging character choices. I have also added images of other book covers because they are vivid and would liven up an otherwise plain costume. 

1. Malaika — Malaika's Costume

Author: Nadia L. Hohn | Jamaican-Canadian heritage
Ages: 4–9

Costume idea: A colorful Carnival outfit made from a bright skirt, ribbons, paper flowers, and a decorated headband.

Easy DIY: Attach colorful strips of crepe paper to an ordinary skirt or T-shirt. Add a cardboard Carnival crown.

Why this character matters: Malaika's story celebrates Caribbean Carnival, family love, resourcefulness, and the experience of having a parent living abroad.

Book Character Day message: Creativity can turn something ordinary into something beautiful.

This is one of my favorite choices for today's celebration because the costume-making itself reflects the story. Kirkus Reviews

2. Anna — Anna Carries Water

Author: Olive Senior | Jamaica
Ages: 4–8

Costume idea: A colorful dress or comfortable everyday clothes, a small plastic bucket, and a folded cloth.

Easy DIY: Carry an empty bucket decorated with blue paper to represent water. For safety, carry it by hand rather than balancing it on the head.

Why this character matters: Anna wants to accomplish something her older siblings can already do. Her story introduces children to rural Jamaican life, perseverance, and growing independence.

Book Character Day message: I can learn something new if I keep trying. Orca Book Publishers

3. Corinne La Mer — The Jumbies

Author: Tracey Baptiste | Trinidad and Tobago
Ages: 9–13

Costume idea: A simple blouse, skirt or shorts, sandals, and a small basket of pretend fruit.

Easy DIY: Make a cardboard forest sign reading "Beware of Jumbies!"

Why this character matters: Corinne is a courageous Caribbean heroine who encounters supernatural beings drawn from Caribbean folklore.

Book Character Day message: Courage means facing what frightens us.

An excellent option for children who enjoy fantasy, adventure, and a little mystery. AdLit

4. Lola — Islandborn

Author: Junot Díaz | Dominican-American
Ages: 5–9

Costume idea: Everyday school clothes, a backpack, drawing paper, and colorful pencils.

Easy DIY: Create a picture of an island with palm trees, houses, and ocean waves.

Why this character matters: Lola explores her Dominican birthplace through the memories and stories of her family and community.

Book Character Day message: Our stories help us discover where we come from.

This is particularly meaningful for children growing up in diaspora communities.

What I Learned From This Episode

Where would a parent go to find a list of books they don't have at home? If they come home early enough, then it's the library. If one starts early, interlibrary loans might get you a handful of books. Parents will not get the variety from one library. Where else can parents go? If the books are findable by AI, then we are in luck. My search yielded a respectable list of books. Parents will have fun with Malaika's Costume by Nadia L. Hohn, Kayla—Carnival Queen by Donette Williams-Harry, and The Golden Coqui by Marjuan Canady. Parents could also coach their children about how to introduce the character and the book to the rest of the class. All the child will need is two sentences. 

Additionally, parents may have to help AI by crosschecking the items on the list. If the goal is supporting Caribbean and diaspora authors, then do a bit more searching after AI to make sure that the authors are in your demographic. Not all the books in these AI results were written by Caribbean authors. For example, search results included prolific Jewish American children's author Eric Kimmel. 

Are there authors missing from the AI search results? Don't hesitate to include authors you know personally. Let's add Musgrave medalist Geoffrey Philp's newly published graphic novel about Marcus Garvey, an important international figure? Let's add Ann-Marie Zoe Coore's book "I Am Jamaica." Frizzy by Claribel Ortega would make a striking character. Anancy the spider, the character in Bre'r Anancy and the Magic Pot by V.S. Russel would provide very engaging artwork. Sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the subject of the children's book titled I Am A Promise. That would be an easy addition to Book Character Day. How does my addition help? Should I tell AI about it? After this special day of children celebrating these books, the books disappear from consciousness and the kindergarten classroom. So, does a longer list from AI means the discoverability problem is solved?

Discoverability And Celebration Go Hand in Hand

Some Caribbean literary characters are discoverable. But this doesn't mean that the characters have entered popular consciousness. Millions of people have read The Cat in the Hat many times over the course of their childhood. The book has become a recitation as people age and transfer their love of the story to children. AI can help people find books. It cannot make people celebrate those books. Now, I am not saying we should enter into an unwinnable competition with The Cat in the Hat. I am saying let us celebrate Caribbean authors in a way that's culturally relevant. The Caribbean has enriched the world through its people, whether Bob Marley, Kes, Usain Bolt, bobsledder Devon Harris, Marlon James or Safiya Sinclair. Can celebrities who are still here participate in Book Character Day? We are passionate about our carnivals. Let's get passionate about our authors and books. To reiterate, we cannot wait for Caribbean books to be welcomed into the zeitgeist. Like Marley, James, and the Spirit of Carnival, we have to carve our own road into the zeitgeist.

If I had money and lots of it, I would build a carnival float with books by Caribbean and diaspora authors. Whether one child shows up to Book Character Day dressed in cardboard celebrating a Caribbean author or 100 costumed characters throw a joyful Caribbean book party on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, celebration is a must. Let's not wait for AI. Let's make a carnival for our books and authors and invite them into public consciousness.

Book Availability Note

A note on finding these books: Many of the titles mentioned in this Field Note can be found through Amazon, independent booksellers, publishers, and libraries. If a book isn't immediately available, ask your local bookseller or librarian to help you locate a copy.