The Things That Kids Say

About the Author Mary Beneda Cooke, the author of the Jamaican children's anecdotes on this site, was born in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica in 1912, the eighth of the 10 children of Elymas and Mary Kleinhans. She was especially fond of children, and compiled these anecdotes over many years of observation of those between the ages of 2 and 5.  Some of them date back to her own childhood. She died in Kingston, Jamaica on January 30, 2002. A devout Catholic, she had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to St. Jude Thaddeus, patron of cases requiring extraordinary help. You can find two of her favourite prayers here.