Customer Reviews

The Children of Mauritania : Days in the Desert and by the River Shore (The World's Children)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having just returned from Mauritania as a Peace Corps volunteer, I found this book culturally rich and sensitive in it's subject matter. The photographs are beautiful and depicts what life is like in Mauritania for many people. I also liked that there were two different ethnic groups explained. This is very important to understanding Mauritanian culture.For children, it is approachable and easy to follow. This is a very unique culture and the author does the richness of this culture justice in her book.

There are not many books on Mauritania out there, and it was a pleasure to find this one. The pictures are excellent and informative, as is the narrative. You can read much more detail elsewhere, but if you want to see what life is like in Mauritania, you will like this book.

Although I spent a short time in Mauritania (2007)....
I did get to accompany a tribal chief into
the interior of the country and
this allowed me to observe how his tribe functioned
on a daily basis.
I ended up buying this book
because it not only talks about a Moor child
but also a Pular child....thus depicting the lives
of 2 different tribes with balance, and as far as I can tell,
respect....
Although it does not cover the residues of slavery in some areas
of this country,I believe the main goal of this book
is to focus on the POSITIVE aspects of the culture
whether it be white Moors or black Pulars.....
I finally bought a copy for myself as
it serves as a great memory of my time there.
I also plan to use it
as a great resource for teaching
about this area of the world to my students.
In addition, the photographs of the the Moor and Pular
children at work or at play
are really natural and gorgeous !!!
I highly recommend this beautiful children's book.