The Magic Moonberry Jump Ropes

Uncle Zambezi brings his two nieces jump ropes from Tanzania, telling the girls that when they use the magic ropes their wishes will come true

Grade 1-3?Uncle Zambezi returns from Africa and brings a set of beautifully dyed jump-ropes for his nieces April and Erica, and the girls turn a boring summer vacation into one filled with new friends and fun. Traditional jump-rope rhymes are made multicultural, e.g., "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around" is adapted to "Nubian Princess turn around." This book is short on plot, characters appear from out of the blue and don't contribute to the story, and the section on how the ropes were dyed in Tanzania is not smoothly woven into the narrative. The high-quality watercolors are very expressive and are largely responsible for any character development. They greatly outshine the lackluster text.?Christina Linz, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-8. In this lively story, April and her little sister like to jump double Dutch, but none of the other kids seem interested in jumping rope. Improvising, the sisters tie the ends of the rope to a fence and later ask their younger sister to turn the rope, but neither of these solutions works out. Then Uncle Zambezi comes to visit, bringing two beautifully colored ropes dyed in Tanzania by Zambezi's friend, Layla. Uncle Zambezi tells the girls these magic moonberry jump ropes can grant wishes, and that's what happens when new children move into the neighborhood who are delighted to join the girls in double Dutch. This book is a delight. Children will respond to the story of a cherished activity that needs friends to make it happen. Lewis' warm watercolors, touched with berry purples throughout, are handsomely executed and capture the everyday miracles that are the heart of this story. One of the book's special charms is the abundance of jump-rope rhymes. In an afterword, the author explains the origins of these traditional and new rhymes and also discusses the plants and dyes that make traditional Tanzanian ropes. Ilene Cooper