The Magic Gourd - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439439604 ISBN 13: 9780439439602

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2003

Synopsis

Coretta Scott King Honor author/artist tells a tale from Mali about a magic gourd that can fill itself with whatever its owner desires. And hidden within is a powerful lesson about generosity.

Draught and famine have come to the parched forest. And when a hungry Rabbit rescues Brother Chameleon from a thorny bush, Chameleon repays him tenfold with a magical gourd that always stays filled with food and water. But soon a greedy king steals the gourd to make gold and food for himself. Cleverly, Rabbit recovers his gourd, but still leaves plenty for the King. Surprised by Rabbit's kind act, the king begins to learn the importance of generosity and friendship.
Exciting illustrations in bright ceramic plates, bowls and sculpture practically dance off of the pages.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in 1961 in Mali, West Africa, Baba Wagué Diakité was named "Wagué," or "Man of Trust," after his grandfather. "I grew up in a storytelling family," Diakité remembers. "Even after my Western education in a French school, my basic understanding of life is still from this traditional education of mankind that my grandparents taught me...Without stories, there is no art." Though always artistically inclined, he didn't begin the ceramic work for which he is known until after he moved to the U.S. in 1985. Diakité's work has been in shows in New York, California, Texas, and Oregon. His first picture book, a retelling of one of his grandmother's fables called The Hunterman and the Crocodile, was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Diakité teamed up with his daughter Penda, who was 12 at the time, to publish I Lost My Tooth in Africa, a warm family story about the African tooth fairy. Penda was inspired to write this story about her little sister after they returned from visiting their family in Mali. The Diakité family divides their time between Portland, Oregon, and Bamako, Mali. For more information about Baba Wagué Diakité, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks

Language Notes:

Text: English, Bambara

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0439439604
• ISBN 13: 9780439439602
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Wague Diakite Baba