Don't Spill the Milk! - Hardcover

Davies, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1467720283 ISBN 13: 9781467720281

Publisher: Andersen Press USA, 2013

Synopsis

Over the uppy downy dunes, across the dark, wide river and up the steep, steep mountain, Penda lovingly carries a bowl of milk to her father in the grasslands. But will she manage to get it there without spilling a single drop?

About this title

About the Authors

Stephen Davies is a missionary living amongst Fulani herders in West Africa. He speaks Fulfulde, eats millet, and accompanies cattle-drives. He also write for the Guardian Weekly (Letters from Burkina Faso). Have a look at his website: www.voiceinthedesert.org.uk.

Christopher Corr was born in London and studied at The Royal College of Art. His round-the-world travels provide much inspiration for his work. He has recently been working on some children's books.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2–Penda's father is in the grasslands tending the sheep, and the child is taking him a bowl of milk for his lunch. Carefully she carries it on her head past a herd of giraffes, a lively rainy-season mask dance, and over the River Niger via fishing boat, without spilling a drop. When she finds her father sitting under a mango tree, a ripe fruit falls into the bowl and the milk splashes out. Penda is sad, but her father convinces her that all is well–“This bowl was full of love, girl, and it still is”–and they then share the fruit for lunch. This family story shines due to Corr's brightly painted folk-art illustrations. The village in Niger, the villagers, and Penda's journey are patterned with blocks of thick color, stripes, dots, swirls, and the feel of African sunshine. A warm, reassuring tale for storytimes and units on family.–Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canadaα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Permitted to take a bowl of milk to her father, Prenda sets off on a journey filled with a challenging landscape and enticing distractions. Balancing the bowl on her head, she reminds herself, “Don’t wiggle, don’t wobble, don’t try to rush it, girl.” The steady narrative pace matches Prenda’s determined steps perfectly. As she carefully treks from the village to the grasslands, flat folk-art illustrations reveal glimpses of Prenda’s Fulani village as well as the West African countryside. Vibrantly colorful pictures teem with life and activity, but Prenda and her bowl are always clearly visible. A sudden surprising incident upsets Prenda at the last minute, but her father puts everything in loving perspective. Internal rhyming, alliteration, and repetition of key words make this ideal for reading aloud, and the West African setting adds a multicultural dimension. Preschool-Grade 2. --Linda Perkins

Edition details

• Publisher: Andersen Press USA
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1467720283
• ISBN 13: 9781467720281
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Corr Christopher
• Number of pages: 32