Silly Mammo: An Ethiopian Tale - Softcover

Yohannes, Gebregeorgis; Belachew, Bogale

4.17

6 ratings by Goodreads

9781883701048: Silly Mammo: An Ethiopian Tale

Softcover

ISBN 10: 188370104X ISBN 13: 9781883701048

Publisher: African Sun Pub, 2002

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-In this traditional tale, Mammo is so silly that on his first day of work he holds his pay in his hands and loses the coins when he trips. His mother tells him that he should put his wages in his pocket. The next day, he is paid with a bottle of milk by the cattle herder and he does as his mother said, pouring the liquid into his pocket. The rest of the story follows suit until, in the end, he makes the wealthy merchant's daughter laugh, thereby restoring her speech and winning her hand in marriage. An author's note points out the similarity to the "Obedient Jack" tales. The bilingual text is in English and Amharic, Ethiopia's primary language, and includes a glossary. The lack of a pronunciation guide or any notes on Amharic, along with the stiff illustrations and design, makes this an awkward read. The foreground paintings tend to be amateurish, with little variation in the characters' postures, while the backgrounds better capture a sense of place with their soft, fluid illustrations and loose details. Although the book is a unique choice for libraries looking to strengthen their international/bilingual folktale collections, it is not a necessity in most libraries.
Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

PreS. This popular Ethiopian folktale, told here in English with Amharic translation, resembles the story of Silly Jack and all those other stories of the foolish boy who gets everything wrong. When Mammo's loving mother sends him to work, he loses his wages, so she scolds him and tells him to put them in his pocket next time. The next day he finds work with a cattle herder, who pays him with milk, and remembering his mother's words, Mammo pours the milk in his pocket. The farce escalates until Mammo's wild mess-up makes a beautiful young woman laugh, which cures her of her inability to speak and prompts her grateful, wealthy father to allow Mammo to marry his daughter. Of course, they go on to live happily for many years. The words and pictures set the story, not in tribal exotica but in a contemporary Ethiopian village, where Mammo wears jeans and the bus stops near grazing cattle. The author Yohannes emigrated from Ethiopia at the age of 19, and he is now a librarian in San Francisco. Children everywhere will enjoy the boisterous story of the underdog who wins. All profits from the book go for books and education to support children in Ethiopia. Hazel Rochman
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

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