Yatandou

Tales of the World

by Gloria Whelan, Peter Sylvada (Illustrator)

Yatandou lives in a Mali village with her family and neighbors. And though she is only eight years old and would much rather play with her pet goat, she must sit with the women and pound millet kernels. To grind enough millet for one day's food, the women must pound the kernels with their pounding sticks for three hours. It is hard work, especially when one is eight years old. But as they work, the women dream of a machine that can grind the millet and free them from their pounding sticks. But the machine will only come when the women have raised enough money to buy it. Yatandou must help raise the money, even if it means parting with something she holds dear. Through the eyes and voice of a young girl, award-winning author Gloria Whelan brings to life one village's dream of a better future. Atmospheric paintings from artist Peter Sylvada capture the landscape and spirit of this inspiring story of sacrifice and hope.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Childrens, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2007

About the author

Gloria Whelan is the best-selling author of many novels for young readers, including Homeless Bird, winner of the National Book Award; Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect; Angel on the Square and its companion, The Impossible Journey; Once on This Island, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; Farewell to the Island; and Return to the Island. She lives with her husband, Joseph, in the woods of northern Michigan.

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book for children, complete with gorgeous illustrations, Yatandou is the tale of an eight year old girl growing up in Mali. Yatandou can't go to school with the boys, she has to spend the day grinding millet kernals with a pounding stick. It's hard work for a young girl. The women of the village wish to purchase a machine to do the work for them, and reduce their daily toil, but how will they ever afford to buy one?

A lovely tale about a child growing up in a different culture, we learn how they live, what they do in their lives. This book woud be an eye-opener for children of modern western society, who have everything they want handed to them on a plate. I recommend this book to all children, so they can see how kids in other lands live, and how different life there is to our own.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relates the story of a young girl in a small village in Mali, who finds a way to contribute money toward the purchase of a labor-saving and money-making millet grinder for the village. This story is based on a program that actually exists to help villagers in Africa purchase such things as grinders, services such as having a well dug, and the building of schools. It's a heartwarming story of how one small thing can lead to something greater and of benefit to many. Pair it with some of the recent books about Wangari Maathai and her women planting trees, and with Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier and One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway. Highly recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of Sleeping Bear Press's Tales of the World series, a collection of picture-books meant to introduce children to diverse parts of the world through the stories of the young children living there - other entries include Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers (Japan), The Gift of the Inuksuk (Arctic Canada), and Waiting for the Owl's Call (Afghanistan) - Yatandou follows the adventures of an eight-year-old girl from Mali, who spends hours out of her day grinding millet with the older women. It is back-breaking work, and allows little time for play, or for schooling. Then Yatandou learns of a machine, something the women of the village are saving up to buy, that will do the grinding for them! Can she bring herself to sacrifice something very precious, if it will help toward that goal...?

As engaging tale of one young girl, her relationships with her family (I liked her brief interaction with her brother, Madou), with her special goat Sunjata, and with her village, Yatandou is also an introduction to the realities of life in a poor village. I appreciated the fact that Whelan managed to highlight the real difference that a seemingly small change, like the procurement of a grinding machine, can make in the lives of the poor, without veering too sharply into the realm of didacticism. The accompanying artwork by Peter Sylvada has a lovely, light-filled quality to it, with shapes that are sometimes a little indistinct, but also surprisingly solid. All in all, an appealing title that I would recommend to young readers who are curious about how children in other parts of the world, particularly Mali, live.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely for older readers, though it can be shared with younger children. This book tells, from a child's point of view, of life in Mali. The story takes place in a time of transition, when the village women and children have worked hard to earn a machine that will help them grind grain in less than the usual 3 hours it takes for enough grain for a day. The illustrations, in warm earth colors, set the tone for the book, but their impressionistic quality doesn't clearly illustrate the story.

Though not a book your average child would pick up for him or herself, this is a valuable book to share with children.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this sweet-and-sad picture book, which I think could be very useful in a social studies class. A global overview unit would be a great place to use this book--it shows inequities in the world and the struggles to survive in parts of Africa.

[Madeline Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a little girl named Yatandou who lives in a small Mali village in Africa. She has to work hard everyday with the older women of the village to provide enough food for them to eat. This is very tough work and the village women dream of something that can take the work load off of them. Yatandou works hard to raise the money for such a machine. She is an inspiring, determined young girl.

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the artwork in the book a lot too. I have always wanted to travel to Africa, but have not yet had the opportunity. I love hearing true stories like this that are so inspiring and really teach us that there is so much more in the word and sometimes we take what we have for granted.

This book would be great to use in the classroom on a lesson about African villages. It would be a good way to show younger students that not everywhere in the world is like America and we are so fortunate for the things that we have and should be grateful always. It is also a good way to teach kids about different cultures and the way they live and do things in their everyday life.

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book by Gloria Whelan and Peter Sylvada follows Yatandou, a young girl living in a Mali village. This book follows her story of working for her village at the age of 8. Although she is young, she had big dreams for herself as well as the industrial future. The story is an inspiring and heartfelt story that is filled with culture and authenticity. This book provides an insightful story while at the same time is easy to understand for elementary school students. The story is captivating and the pictures are illustrated in such a way that is relevant to the colors of the culture. Overall this book is stunning. In a classroom setting, I would use this book to discuss culture. Everything from the colors of this book to the villages' stories points towards ideas greater than the book itself. This book gives us a great understanding of the world around us and can help children have a better grasp of the outside world.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in the Tales of the World series tells of Yatandou, a young girl of Mali. She & her family create a life with their desert village. The women & girls use sticks to beat the millet that's grown to separate the husks from the seed. It takes 3 hours of hard, backbreaing work. They are selling food, pottery, & goats they raise at market to get enough money to buy a machine for grinding the millet. Yatandou has a little goat she's raised that she loves & doesn't want to part with, but she also wants to help buy the machine so she doesn't have to beat the millet. Life is hard living beside the desert--her mother must rise hours before dawn to walk to the waterhole to get water for cooking & drinking. Her father & brother work hard raising goats & planting millet. The desert winds blow the sand into everything--hair, eyes, food. This was a very interesting look at a different kind of life.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of life in Mali, where grinding meal and fetching water takes most of the women and girls' day. When a new contraption is promised to make grinding meal easier, young Mali must decide if she can sell her beloved goat.
A terrific book for Global Connections, with lots of curricular connections.

[Checkthebook · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about Mali, Africa. It is a little hard to follow, but good. The boy pounds grain (millet) all day.

[Jurene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wantes to like this more. The story is good, bit the writing is not and the illustrations aren't detailed enough to keep the eye looking while reading the text.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful words and beautiful illustrations.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped to use this for story time but there's not enough action. It's a nice story describing life in a small village in Mali, but it's nothing special. Upper elementary school interest level.

[Kristyan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yatandou is a story that details the ins and outs of a young girl's daily life in Mali, West Africa. From sleeping on a rooftop in order to avoid the harsh wind storms that frequently occur in her village, to selling her pet goat in order to benefit the village, the girl narrates the various activities that characterize her life. This book is not very interesting (because it lacks a definite storyline), but it has incredible oil-painted illustrations and would be a great way to introduce the culture(s) of West Africa to young students. The wind storms that plague the country in this book would also be a relevant study topic within a geography unit on West Africa's climate and environmental conditions.

[Najat Ahdaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yatandou is a story about an 8 year old girl in a small village in Mali. Yatandou's job, along with many other women in their village, is to pound and grind millet kernels. They dream of having a machine to grind the millet but they cannot get it until they raise enough money. Yatandou must decide if she should give up something she loves in order to make the women's lives in her village easier. The illustrations as well as the storyline makes this story heart tugging "When I have a little girl I will show the [pounding]stick to her. I will tell her how I raised Sunjata and sold him him and how that helped the bring the contraption to our village. She will show the pounding stick to her daughter, who will never have to use it" (p. 28).

[Jenielle Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

. In this short tale of an 8 year old names Yatando who is the primary character in the book. The book shows courage, sacrifice, and hope. While this story of Yantandou tells a tale about the life of a girl and her mother. In the book Yandandou’s mother is a secondary character. The book talks about the beliefs and values of the African culture. Yatandou teaches words in African that are displayed through the story. Yatandou is put to work at such a young age and given great responsibility to help her family. Through hard work in her village and selling her best goat, she is taught to read and write from a new woman that comes to her village.

[Becky Birtha · Rating 4 out of 5]

To get enough millet meal for one day's food, eight year old Yatandou and the women in her family must pound kernels for three hours. This book is the story of Yatandou's small part in bringing a grinding machine to the Mali village where she lives, and is also a beautiful glimpse into another culture. Gloria Whelan is an author I trust in writing sensitively about children from diverse cultures and countries. Her words here are like poetry, and the glowing earth tones of Peter Sylvada's paintings are the perfect accompaniment.

[Saba N Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yatandou, shares more than just a story, but the hopes, dreams and achievements of young Yatandou and the women in her village. This story explores the Mali heritage and daily routines of Yatandou and her family. I love that the narrator is Yatandou herself, allowing children to experience her day with her. Yatandou shows children that hard work and teamwork goes hand in hand when everyone wants to achieve success.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful story accompanied with beautiful illustrations about a young girl who must work hours each day in her Mali village grinding millet kernels and traveling far distances for water and firewood. She must learn to sacrifice for the prosperity of her family and village and one day sees her hard labor come to fruition.

A gem of a story that I found in our school library. :)

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A work of historical fiction that tells of the very real struggle for some rural under-developed nations who do not have easy access to water and spend most of their days toiling to meet their most basic needs. Due to this, most of the children in these areas will never be able to attend school and have a chance to change their circumstances or their future.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of Yatandou and her Mali village where she helps to help grind milet to eat and can't go to school. Through the course of the book her village scrapes together the money for a grinding machine which completely changes their lives. Definitely recommended.

[Mrs. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this a great book for students to take a look outside of themselves and this country and think about how others live. I will definitely use this in the classroom!

[Ali Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I really liked Yatandou, Kali said it was "OK". I gave it 4 stars.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever given up something you loved in order to help someone else?

[Abby Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

very different. I liked it.
it's poetic and the illustrations are blurry

[Emily Houtchens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about an 8 year old girl in Mali, Africa and follows her work filled life. It opens readers' eyes to the hardship of another country and shows the hope a new contraption can bring.
I loved this books illustrations. It is full of beautiful paintings. I also love the wake up it brings by shattering our ignorance to other countries problems. It is easy to forget how privileged we are in America.
This is another great book to make students aware of other cultures around the world.

[Erin]

This book is about a girl in Mali, Africa. Everyday she must pound millet kernels with the women of her village, but she would much rather play with her goat. The women dream of a day when a machine will be able to do the pounding for them. When the little girl is told that she must sell her goat, she and her mother go into town and find a machine that just may be the answers to their prayers.

I thought this was a very interesting book that does a great job in sharing African culture. I liked how it used both the language of the Mali people and English to help translate.

I would use this book in a classroom when discussing culture. I might also talk about the economics involved with selling the goat and the new machine.