The Lion's Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale - Hardcover

Day, Nancy Raines

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590458035 ISBN 13: 9780590458030

Publisher: Scholastic, 1995

Synopsis

An Ethiopian folktale follows a stepmother's dangerous quest in which she must pluck three whiskers from a fierce lion's chin in order to gain her stepson's trust, and is accompanied by bold collage illustrations by a Caldecott Honor-winning artist.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up?Day retells a folktale of Ethiopia's Amhara people in a readable manner that will appeal to both children and adults. A woman seeking the advice of a medicine man on how to win the love of her young stepson is told that she must pluck three whiskers from the chin of a fierce old lion. As she slowly earns the beast's trust, she learns the way to the boy's heart, as well. Day has elaborated upon the ending of the story as told in Russell Davis and Brent Ashabranner's The Lion's Whiskers (Little, 1959; o.p.), giving more life to the characters. Grifalconi's earth-toned collages provide a perfect window to the tale. Her careful use of plain and patterned papers of various textures, both cut and torn, results in an effective portrait of the desert?its ever-changing sands, oases, dunes, and rock formations. Pieces of fabric, parts of photographs (sometimes just a head, arm, hand, or leg attached to a body made of paper and cloth with face and hair drawn in), and tiny twigs, moss, and other natural materials add both artistic appeal and ethnic veracity. A surefire read-aloud and discussion-starter, accompanied by masterful artistic expression.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3-7. A loving stepmother is the main character in a folktale retold from the Amhara people of Ethiopia. Heartbroken because her stepson rejects her, Fanaye seeks help from a wise medicine man, who tells her to bring him three whiskers from the ferocious lion that prowls in the black-rock desert. Over many months, she tames the lion and learns from that experience how to tame the boy and make him need her and love her. The quest is exciting, and the emotions of mother and son are powerful. Children will recognize the boy's wild anger and his need for loving reconciliation. Grifalconi's collage illustrations in warm desert shades of brown and red make stunning use of photographs and all kinds of textured materials and colored papers, including folk patterns of woven cloth, wood, and beadwork--for example, the lion's whiskers are the whisks from a straw broom. The medicine man's cave jumps with wild combinations of shapes and shadows; in contrast is the stark desert view, wide and open, as the brave woman undertakes her quest into the wild. Hazel Rochman

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0590458035
• ISBN 13: 9780590458030
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Grifalconi Ann