Penda Diakité joins forces with her award-winning author/artist father to give a charming peek at everyday life in Africa. "This fact-based story of losing a tooth while visiting family in Mali rings with authenticity and good humour...[T]he illustrations exude happiness and togetherness." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The creator of The Magic Gourd teams up with his teenage daughter for this story, based on the time the author's younger sister, Amina, actually did lose a tooth in Mali, while visiting their father's family. "My dad says if you lose a tooth in Africa and put it under a gourd, you will get a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy!... So I try tricks with my tongue to help it come out faster," writes Diakit?, narrating as her sister, Amina. As the heroine waits for the tooth to come out, she also describes a fascinating daily rhythm within her paternal grandmother's African home, depicted as a walled compound. "Aunt Kadja has made my favorite dinner. It's rice and onion sauce with African eggplant and tiny noodles. We all eat together around one big bowl. Everyone eats with their right hand." After dinner, neighbors come by to play games and tell stories. With often whimsical touches, Baba Wagu? Diakit? illustrates a vibrant life among banana palms, birds and brightly dressed relatives and friends. Patterned borders surround each illustration, created on a ceramic tile (e.g., feathers and eggs decorate the scene of Amina's new hen laying eggs; even loose teeth come into play). Young readers may well be intrigued by how universal a milestone it is to lose a tooth, while learning the unique lifestyle of this warm and welcoming West African family. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 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 Diakit? 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 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

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 0 (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 Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.