From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4–This story recounts a child's visit to Mali, where she loses her tooth. After she hides it under a calabash, she waits for the African Tooth Fairy to replace it with a chicken. When her patience runs out and she returns to the gourd to retrieve her tooth, a chicken and a rooster emerge. She is delighted. The strength and enduring warmth of her African extended family emerge fully through thoughtful detail. Grandma N'na gives her a blessing each morning: May you rise high with strength and knowledge. When the child returns home to Oregon, Uncle Madou volunteers to take care of the chickens until her return. The vivid ceramic-tile illustrations expand the text, revealing a range of animals, houses, and greenery. At the end are the words to Grandma's Good Night Song, the recipe for African Onion Sauce, and a glossary of Bambara words, all of which add to the authentic feel of the story. In his illustrator's note, Baba Diakité states, Storytelling is a gift to me from my elders and I simply wanted to pass this gift along to my children. He has succeeded, as his artistry supports his daughter's storytelling beautifully.
–Alexa L. Sandman, Kent State University, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 2. The enduring connection between a child in Portland, Oregon, and her extended family in Bamako, Mali, is the theme of this picture book, based on a true story, which the author wrote when she was just eight years old. In an immediate first-person account, a little girl relates her excitement about flying from America to revisit her father's family in Mali. One of her teeth is loose, and her dad tells her that if she loses her tooth and puts it under a gourd, she will get a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy. That's exactly what happens, and the last page shows the girl, minus one tooth and holding a speckled hen. The focus is on the rich daily life of the community, and the pictures--bright ceramic-tile-like illustrations by Diakite's father (whose picture books include the Coretta Scott King Honor Book
The Hunterman and the Crocodile (1997)--are framed in borders decorated with everything from the sun, moon, and stars to eggs, chickens, feathers, and vegetables. The lively art shows why the narrator is sad to leave and looks forward to coming back. A glossary, a song, and a recipe for African onion sauce round out a book filled with charm.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
