The Hunterman and the Crocodile: A West African Folktale
A marvelous storytelling voice with a playful tone relates the circular tale of Bamba the Crocodile who is on his way to Mecca with his family. After Bamba begs Donso, a passing hunter for help, the hunter finds himself in precarious waters, both literally and figuratively. Because Donso and other humans have not lived in harmony with nature, the hunter receives little sympathy from a cow "dingi-donga," an old horse "ke-te-ba," a chicken "ko, ko, ko, ko." A nearby mango tree also declines to help Donso. However Rabbit gives sound advice, and even Bamba agrees to help when Donso has a second crisis. This volume offers a perfect example of a text completely unified with its visual elements. Growing up in a village in Mali, West Africa, Diakite is close to his storytelling heritage. As an artist using the clay surfaces of pottery for his canvas, Diakite created the artwork here on hand-painted ceramic tiles. Diakite's note provides personal background and suggests "close cousins" of this tale, such as the Korean tale The Rabbit's Judgment retold by Suzanne Crowder Han and illustrated by Yumi Heo (Henry Holt, 1994), an African American variant and one from India. ©1997 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-9
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
African Peoples
Animals (Fiction)
Circular Stories
Folk and Fairy Tales
Helpfulness
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Scholastic
Publish Year: 1997
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0590898280
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 398 Diakite