Bintou's Braids [Hardcover]

Sylvianne Diouf (Author), Shane Evans (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001 | Grade Level: P and up

Bintou wants braids. Long, pretty braids, woven with gold coins and seashells, just like her older sister and the other women in her family. But she is too young for braids. Instead, all she has are four little tufts of hair; all she ever gets are cornrows. However, when Bintou saves the lives of her two young cousins and is offered a reward of her choosing, Bintou discovers that true beauty comes in many different forms. Rich, earthy illustrations and a heartwarming story capture the spirit of a West African village in this wise tale about a girl who learns she's perfect just the way she is.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"My name is Bintou and I want braids. My hair is short and fuzzy." So laments the heroine in the straightforward style she uses to narrate her story. Though Bintou dreams birds would enjoy nesting in her hair, she mostly envisions wearing "long braids with gold coins and seashells," as her sister and other young women of her African village do. Her Grandma Soukeye explains that girls are only allowed tufts or cornrows in order to avoid vanity, and relays a village cautionary tale to underscore her moral. Diouf (Growing Up in Slavery) creates strong female characters and evokes the feeling of a small village as extended family. With their large expressive eyes and warm demeanor, the girls and women gracefully move through Evans's (Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter) oil paintings in abundant earth tones and bright African batiks. Subtle footprints and chicken prints in the ochre sand background add depth to the fluid paintings. When Bintou helps save two drowning cousins and asks that braids be her reward, Grandma Soukeye finds a way to adhere to village tradition while acknowledging Bintou's heroism. This heartfelt story affords glimpses of West African customs as it touches on children's universal desire to be treated as grown-ups. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Bintou wants braids. All she has are four little tufts of hair on her head, and she is always being told that she is too young for the beautiful long braids that her sister and the women of her West African village wear. Little girls have cornrows, she is told, and she must wait. But Bintou, a very believable child, does not want to wait, and when she is offered any reward she can name for saving the lives of two drowning boys, she knows just what to ask for. This lively story is enriched by descriptions and illustrations of village life and customs. There is a great new-baby celebration, where the hands and arms of many villagers are shown high in the air, a stylized representation of unity and joy as the child is raised aloft. The grandmother is shown in her tribal dress, and readers see the beauty of the women with gold coins woven into the braids over their foreheads. Finally there is Bintou, delighted at the decorations in her hair that make her realize how special she is. The oil paintings glow in rich tones of gold, sand, and blue, and the text uses simple narrative language that will read aloud well.

Marian Drabkin, formerly at Richmond Public Library, CA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811825140
• ISBN-13: 978-0811825146
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "My hair is short and fuzzy.", July 4, 2006

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bintou's Braids (Paperback)

In a heartwarming story that reflects on family and tradition, Bintou, a child, grows up in her West African village yearning to have long braids like the older girls, with seashells and coins attached in the ancestral tradition. Poor Bintou only has four little tufts of hair wrapped in colored string, nothing nearly as attractive as the older girls. Bintou's baby brother is soon to be baptized and given a name, so she greets her grandmother in the village the day before the feast. Thanks to her many years, Bintou's grandmother knows everything; when Bintou asks why she can't have braids, the grandmother relates the tale of Couma, a girl who had such braids with seashells and coins and thought of nothing but herself. The elders decided that little girls could only have corn rows, so that they would make friends, play and learn before worrying about such grownup things. Still, Bintou dreams at night of braids with coins and seashells.

The day of the feast, Bintou escapes from the festivities for a while near the water's edge, where she hears cries for help; two boys are in danger of drowning. Taking a shortcut through the brambles, she tears loose two of her four tufts of hair, but finds help in time to save the boys. Promised a reward for her quick thinking, Bintou's older sister says, "She wants braids!" That night Bintou dreams a different dream, of yellow and blue birds nesting in her soft hair. The next morning, as her grandmother dresses her hair, she expects the usual corn rows; when Bintou looks in the mirror, a pretty girl stares back at her, hair sprinkled with blue and yellow birds. She is content to wait until she is grown for her braids.

While speaking to the importance of family and reverence for tradition, this wonderful story also acknowledges a little girl's dream of growing up, only not too quickly. Surrounded by love and the wisdom of her extended family, Bintou is nurtured through the phases of childhood, perfect just as she is. The vivid illustrations portray Bintou's family in their West African village, the girl's imaginative dreamscapes, the world through the eyes of a child, a perfect match for a timeless tale. Luan Gaines/2006.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of our favorites, June 30, 2005

By 

Lisa1971 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bintou's Braids (Paperback)

This is a classic in our family. We've had it for a couple years (starting when my daughter was 4?). It is very well written and enjoyable to read, partly because it's told in Bintou's voice. As a bonus- it's also a good book for instilling pride in a little girl's hair.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful in so many ways, March 19, 2004

By 

Dodi F "jondodi" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bintou's Braids (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated book and a beautiful story with wonderful messages about bravery, what girls should focus on (playing and learning instead of vanity), wisdom of ancestors, adults honoring children's desires while also standing their ground and providing wise guidance. It's also a lovely way to learn a bit about West African people and customs. I recommend it highly.