Atmospheric details particularize this affecting tale of a rural southern African boy whose mother has just given birth. The boy, narrating, begins with an expression of awe: "A falling star, Mama! Look how Papa catches it in his warm brown blanket. See how it slips into his silver milk bucket. 'A star for a new baby,' says Mama." After Papa proudly inspects the baby and announces, "I'm the baby's father," the older boy wonders, "Papa, are you really my papa too?" Papa reassures him, promising that another star will fall from the sky just for him. The use of native terms (a "tula-tula hush-hush song") and references to local practices (sticking two stalks of grass above the door to signify a birth; celebrating the new arrival by flooring the hut with fresh cow-dung) enhance this journey abroad. Daly's gently reverent pencil-and-watercolor illustrations reinforce Mennen's comforting depiction of a world where a boy might indeed catch a star in his palm, and where the special quality of each child is valued. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this story set in rural South Africa, a young boy whose mother is expecting a new baby sees a falling star. He follows the moon and the sun across the sky and watches and participates in the traditions surrounding a birth unfold: putting stalks of grass above the door to warn men not to enter until "the inkaba-cord falls from the baby's belly"; makoties (young girls) bringing water for the baby; relatives bringing useful gifts. Finally, Papa comes and kneels to look at the infant. "'I'm the baby's father,'" he says with a smile. Later that night, he reassures his worried older son that he's his father, too. The spare, almost poetic text conveys the warmth and delight the boy finds in his world and his home, as well as the feelings of jealousy and concern that a new sibling brings. The pencil and watercolor illustrations further draw readers into the child's world and point of view. The use of pencil lines and shading to add detail and definition to the soft watercolors is especially skillful. This is an example of a multicultural picture book at its best, combining the universal and the particular while not skimping on quality or emotion.
Stephen Del Vecchio, Family Academy, New York City
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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