IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Scholastic Press 1994
Publisher's Note: A wonderfully illustrated story based on a West African proverb. Yemi's mother asks her to care for her younger brother and the girl is delighted at the prospect of taking on a grown-up task. The three of them set out to the village market, where Mama will sell mangoes. Yemi soon loses Kokou, but instead of the terrible things she imagines happening to him, the toddler is lovingly cared for by all of the adults he meets-he is fed, given something to drink, played with, and allowed to nap. The bright watercolors depict the people's multicolored garb and show various aspects of village life, especially the workings of an open-air market. Men and women, young and old, are shown selling peanuts, cloth, pottery, and mats. In the end, Yemi learns, along with readers, that ``It takes a village to raise a child.'' A lovely, gentle, visually appealing book that conveys a sense of what it means to belong to a community.-Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ - School Library Journal
“A nicely shaped and unusually likeable story.”
- Starred review, Kirkus
• American Booksellers "Pick of the Lists"
• Junior Library Guild Selection
• African Studies 1995 Children's Book Award
Ages 4 to 7 / Grades K to 2
paperback only- only available through Scholastic school market or from the author
ISBN 0-590-46598-8