Author/Illustrator: Penda Diakite/Baba Wague Diakite
Plot Summary: A young girl travels to the African country of Mali to visit her grandparents. She leaves Portland, Oregon with a loose tooth and is told by her parents that if she looses her tooth in Africa and puts it under a gourd, she will receive a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy.
African customs and family members are introduced as the tooth is lost during the trip.
Comments: Author and illustrator are daughter and mother respectively. A very cute book on a subject that seems to be popular with first and second grade girls. The story introduces elements of the African culture in Mali including foods and vocabulary.
Extensions:
1. Following a read aloud, a discussion with students would be a geography lesson on finding Mali on the map, as well as a discussion about the variety of languages spoken there. This is explained in the back of the book. The languages include Bambara, French, Wassolonga-kan, Sarakole, Songhai, Arabic, and a little English.
2. Consider the unique customs and languages from an African country such as Mali. A visitor to the class from Mali or a surrounding country could take questions from the class. Students could come up with interview questions before the visit. They could write about what they learned.
3. Students could write about, or illustrate, the times they remember loosing their teeth.
Themes/keywords: family life Mali, chickens, teeth, Mali, Africa.
Age/Reading Level: Interest level - K-3; ATOS 3.0; Lexile - 620
Standards:
SS1G3 The student will locate major topographical features of the earth’s surface.
a. Locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia.
K-3 - Map and Globe Skills - The student will use maps to retrieve social studies information.
ELA2W2/ELA3W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature.
Publisher's Info: Scholastic Press, Inc. New York. 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0-439-66226-0
ISBN-10: 0-439-66226-5
Awards/Review Sources:
Wilson's Children 10/01/06 | Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/07 |
| School Library Journal 01/01/06 | Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/08 |
| Library Media Connection starred 04/01/06 | Horn Book starred 10/01/06 |
| Publishers Weekly 01/02/06 | Booklist 02/01/06 |
Genre/Dewey: Fiction/Everybody/Easy
Websites:
Review from Scholastic website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/tradebooks/editor/dhess_december05.htm
Notes for Booktalk:
Vocabulary: See words in the back of the book.
Comments