Bouki Dances the Kokioko: A Comical Tale from Haiti - Hardcover

Diane Wolkstein

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152000348 ISBN 13: 9780152000349

Publisher: Harcourt, 1997

Synopsis

In this Haitian folktale, the greedy and plotting Malice asks the fat, awkward Bouki to dance the complicated Kokioko for the King so that he can win the prize money, in a story that includes actual sheet music for dance.

About this title

About the Author:

Diane Wolkstein is an internationally renowned storyteller and author. Winner of the National Storytelling Association’s 1996 Circle of Excellence Award, Ms. Wolkstein gives workshops on storytelling and mythology and teaches at New York University. “Bouki Dances the Kokioko” was first published in her collection The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales. Ms. Wolkstein lives in New York City.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4?Bouki has found new life in this illustrated edition of a tale from Wolkstein's The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales (Schocken, 1987). Readers familiar with the gullible Bouki and his malicious and tireless nemesis Malice will listen carefully to learn how Bouki will be duped out of the money he wins by dancing the difficult Kokioko for the king. Sweetwater has captured the dazzling color and the flavor of this tropical island and its people. The illustrations of liquid acrylics, watercolor, and gouache, many framed in four-color harlequin-pattern borders, are filled with comical asides. The artist is a talented colorist and interpreter. However, some of her drawings are reminiscent of the stereotypical caricatures of peoples of African descent that make some adults cringe. These illustrations will create some of the same problems as Helen Bannerman's Little Black Sambo. The depiction of characters with very full, bright red lips; black skin; and white eyes is not natural. Understanding and enjoying this subtle trickster tale requires careful listening; therefore, reading or telling it, using Wolkstein's collection, will be a more worthwhile experience.?Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harcourt
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0152000348
• ISBN 13: 9780152000349
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32