The Talking Baobab Tree

by Nelda LaTeef

The Talking Baobab Tree is derived from a story the author heard while visiting a Wolof village in the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal. The story is in keeping with traditional Wolof tales which reveal a deep admiration for getting the better of a stronger, more powerful opponent. Wolof proverbs are blended into the story as are the Wolof words: Oubi (open) and jerry-jef (thank you).

The Wolof people make up forty percent of the population of Senegal and are celebrated for their oral tradition, sense of style, and hospitality. An often repeated saying among the Wolof is “Eat whatever you like but wear clothes that please others.” There are over ten million Wolof speakers, many of whom live in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.

The Talking Baobab Tree has won multiple awards and star reviews, including:

KIRKUS REVIEWS’ BEST BOOKS OF 2020

2021 STORYTELLING WORLD AWARDS WINNER , (YOUNG LISTENERS)

2021 CHILDREN’S AFRICANA BOOK AWARDS (CABA) HONOR BOOK

2021 AFRICA ACCESS BOOK REVIEW (5 STARS!)

2020 STARRED KIRKUS REVIEW

Official OnlineBookClub.org Review (4 out of 4 stars)

£18.00

About the author

Nelda LaTeef

While living in the Republic of Niger, Nelda LaTeef traveled by Land Rover to the fabled city of Timbuktu. Her children’s picture books Animal Village (named Best Books of 2018 by Kirkus Reviews and a Children’s Africana Book Awards Honour Book) and, The Hunter and the Ebony Tree, both received starred Kirkus reviews, the Storytelling World Honor Award, and were translated in numerous languages including Italian, Korean, Gaelic, French and Spanish. LaTeef studied at Harvard University and her book, Working Women for the 21st Century: Fifty Women Reveal Their Pathways to Success, was selected as recommended reading for young adults by The New York Public Library. She lives with her family in Virginia.

Review

“Her flowing prose seamlessly integrates
new vocabulary in English (baobab) and Wolof, the language of the
story’s origin. The beautiful acrylic, India ink, and collage
illustrations capture the setting and the tone of the tale. The design
is also inventive; in one delightful two-page spread, Johari slides down
a sand dune, requiring readers to turn the book sideways. In another
long illustration, a collage of gems fills the inside of the baobab.
A rich, inventive rendering of a familiar folktale.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The Talking Baobab
is well written and suitable for children of all ages. The book has
easy-to-understand moral lessons that can be of benefit to all. Johari,
the rabbit, shows how to handle bullies with your brain rather than
brawn. The hyena, a model of bad behavior, reaps the ill-will he sows
and loses everything because of his greed. Baobab, naturally endowed
with life-sustaining resources, is generous and kind but no fool.
Proverbs are sprinkled throughout the book: “A good neighbor is better
than a relative who lives far away …. Deeds speak louder than words ….
An egg shouldn’t wrestle with a rock.”

Illustrations are often as important
if not more so than the actual words in books focusing on distant
cultures. Lateef’s illustrations and color selections are
representative of the Sahel region. The drawings – clear, clean and easy
to follow – show the differences between the Sahel, a semi-desert belt
with vegetation that supports animal and plant life and the Sahara, a
true desert with little vegetation.”

Africa Access Review (January 21, 2021)

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