Title: The Name of the Tree: A Bantu Folktale
Author: Celia Barker Lottridge
Illustrator: Ian Wallace
Publish Date: February 2002
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Pages: 36pp
ISBN: 0888990979
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Folklore
Annotation: A great drought settles somewhere on an African plan, forcing all the animals to search for food. When their search fails, it is the turtles search who succeeds.
Plot Summary: On an African plan, a great drought has settled, causing all the animals to search for food. In their search for food, the animals find a magic tree that holds all the fruits imaginable, but as the animals soon learn, they must learn the name of the tree in order to receive the unreachable fruit. With failed attempts, and almost a lackluster hopes, it is the turtle who succeeds with finding the name and saving the day.
Personal Response: This Bantu folktale is told in traditional format by displaying roles of a hero, as heroes are not always the biggest and strongest—yet sometimes the heroes are the least likely. All in all, a very sweet tale with masterful illustrations by that compliment the story, or rather let the story be the main attraction.
~Reader’s Advisory~
Themes: Persistence does not always mean the biggest and strongest. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Age Range: 4-8yrs
Subjects: Africa, Folklore, Bantu, Multicultural, Wisdom, Hero, Persistence, Animals, Children’s, Picture Book
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