School Library Journal Review
| Gr 6 UpA bilingual collection of 18 folktales in English/Kikamba from Kituku's native land, the Kamba Community, Kenya. The reteller/translator is correct when he states in the preface that these short fables, an assortment of human and animal tales, have lost some beauty and flavor in their English retellings. Recognizing that some of the morals have been lost in translation, Kituku includes a brief explanation for each tale and related Kamba customs and traditions when applicable. A few stories retain the humor and obvious moral of the originals. "Monkey and the Shark" is a variant of the Jataka tale, "The Monkey and the Crocodile"; "The Hare and the Hyena" is a trickster tale that rivals an African hare/rabbit trickster tale and America's Brer Rabbit. The pen-and-ink washed illustrations complement the simplicity of the text. African motifs help to emphasize the East African origin of these tales and the storyteller. The usefulness of the Kikamba text is questionable, but in a country with so much diversity there may be ways to use this bilingual collection. Add it if more fables are needed.Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
