The Village of Round and Square Houses

by Ann Grifalconi

In Tos - a real life village in Cameroon - the men live in square houses and the women live in round. The story behind this custom is sensitively retold through the eyes of a young girl brought up there.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Childrens, Cultural, Kids, Folklore, Mythology

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 1986

About the author

(September 22, 1929 – February 19, 2020) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born in New York, she studied art at the Cooper Union School of Art, where she received a certificate in advertising art in 1950.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this great tale. It is set among the Cameroon people and I had a cousin who did a peace corps assignment in the country of Cameroon. I feel like I have some stories to go with the country. I got to see pictures of her village, but I did not notice or remember that her village had round and square houses, so this could just be this village in particular and not the one she stayed in.

In this village the woman and children live in the round houses and the men live in the square houses. The men come and visit in the round house. Each enjoy the company they keep and they are happy with this arrangement. We later find out that this was done after the volcano went off one night long ago. Only two houses were left standing - a round and a square. So everything started from there and the village grew.

I thought this was a fabulous book. I enjoyed it. The artwork is fantastic and the story was engaging. This is a little gem.

The niece and nephew both thought it funny that couples don’t live together. I told them that would be a whole different mentality of living. They thought it was weird. Still, they thought it was a good story too. They both gave this 3 stars.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't feel drawn into the story or captivated by Grifalconi's drawings, although they are capable. The story comes from what Grifalconi heard during a visit in Cameroon, but I'm not sure what a child will take away from the story or what idea a teacher or older reader would want them to take away from it: Appreciating another culture? Honoring African tribal life and culture? Understanding the place of mythology in culture? The world works better if men and women have their space from one another? All these require more adult sensitivities, and in the end what is pictured is the self-contained nature of culture that reinforces itself (slavery worked this way for quite a while), rather than value of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a culture.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting story and I have no reason to believe that Ms Grifalconi made it up. On the back inside flap of the jacket in the edition I read, there is a photo of Ms Grifalconi in front of a square house and a round house, and she is surrounded by the village children. There is also an adult standing next to her, who might be the person who told her the story. The story is interesting, although the reader is not told why the chief wanted to separate the men and women. I really liked the colorful illustrations. Her use of color in the different scenes to depict the contrast between the disaster and the pre-and post-disaster times was brilliant. She has a talent for drawing expressive faces.

Set in the African village Tos, Gran'ma Tika one night tells the story of the eruption of Mount Naka many years before. After the eruption, everyone in the village was covered in ashes, and only two houses were left standing. The chief ordered all the tall people into the square house and all the round people into the round house. And to this day, the men of Tos live in square houses and women live in round houses. Lush chalk drawings in muted colors depict warm, brown Aftricans, colorful clothing, quaint houses, and brooding, purple volcano.

[sarafem · Rating 1 out of 5]

If anyone had ever actually read this book, it would have set us all back about 500 years. Luckily no one but me has, so we're safe. This children's book is about an African village in which the women live on one side in round houses and the men live on the other side in square houses. They've been living like that for generations since the gods destroyed the village and ordered men to one side and women to the other, and they've been living happily ever after since then. It's a Caldecott Honor book, so either the awards committee thought it looked pretty and didn't actually open it, or somehow they or I have seriously misinterpreted the message in this book. Let's glorify "separate but equal", shall we? I mean clearly it has worked out so well in the past. Now let's all go back to our square and round shaped caves and grunt at one another.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was fascinating. In this remote village in Cameroon called Tos, the women live in round houses and the men live in square houses. A young girl explains that this came about when a nearby volcano erupted. Most of the village was destroyed...only two houses were left standing. One was round and one was square. The village chief ordered the tall gray things (the men covered in ash) to go live in the square house and the round gray things (the women) to live in the round houses. And so it remains to this day.

There is a brief author's note at the beginning stating that this is true and the author has traveled to this remote village. But the text left me with many questions and the author's note did little to satisfy my curiosity. I wish there were a more detailed author's note. Is the village still there today? (This was written in 1986.). Has it remained mostly untouched by outside influence's. I want to know more about their culture: their foods and language, their celebrations, their beliefs. I wonder at what age the boys move from the round house with their mothers and the other children to the square house with their fathers? Fascinating book...just want even more.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do women and men live in different houses?
Caldecott honor

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, which is loosely based on a true story, tells the story of a little girl who grew up in a secluded African village with its own customs and we learn of how it came to be. Fascinating and even a thrilling read about African customs. A (100%/Outstanding)

[Lauren Shealy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“This book has no problem. How do you write a book without a problem?” Words from my 7 year old.

[Luke]

Title: The Village of Round and Square Houses
Author: Ann Grifalconi
Illustrator: Ann Grifalconi
Genre: Non – European Folklore
Theme(s): Folklore, gender, villages
Opening line/sentence:
“It was not until Iwas almost full – grown and left my village
That I found our village was like no other.”

Brief Book Summary:
A young girl wonders why it is that her town is divided into two types of houses – round and square. She goes about her daily routine at first, but then her grandmother tells her the story. The volcano in the town erupted one day, and left only a square and round house left. The leader at the time simply threw the men into the square one, and the women into the round one, and that has how it has been ever since then.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Liz Waterland (Books for Keeps No. 58, September 1989)
Picturemac have lately taken the opportunity to produce some very striking and challenging stories from a wide variety of cultures. This story, from the Cameroons, is to be welcomed as another successful addition to the list. The village in which the story is set really exists and its legend, which explains the unusual living arrangements of the villagers, is told by a young girl who lived there. Illustrated in soft, smudgy pastel with great dignity and beauty, the legend fascinated my seven-year-olds. They were interested in the details of everyday living and its relationship to their own lives ('I bet that fou-fou stuff is like mashed potato') and the clarity of the writing helped where otherwise the culture gap might have been hard to bridge. There is only one point which more sophisticated children might want answering; 'If the men live in the square houses and the ladies in the round ones, how do the babies get made?' A problem to ponder on!
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Brenda Randolph (Africa Access Review)
The village of Tos in Cameroon is the setting for this picture book. In Tos, the women live in round houses and the men live in square ones. Osa, a young girl from Tos, wonders how this custom originated. Gran'ma Tika provides the explanation. This story is not as smooth or as appealing as Grifalconi's subsequent story about Osa and the village of Tos (Darkness and the Butterfly). The transition from present-day (when to story begins) to ancient times is jerky and somewhat disconcerting. In addition, the myth that explains the custom is confusing. Children have to figure out that the tall ash-covered things were men and the smaller, round ones were women. Another concern is the depiction of the economic roles male and female play in Tos society. Men are shown farming food crops (yams and corn) while women are shown in strictly domestic roles. This is not the usual pattern in Cameroon. Typically, women produce food crops while men farm cash crops. There are certainly positive elements in the story. The scenes of family life show the respectful and close relationships between the young and the old and, in addition, demonstrate that each member of thefamily -- even the youngest -- is expected to help with household chores.

Response to Two Professional Reviews:
These two reviews of the book have incredibly different viewpoints on the book. The first one loves the illustrations and story, while the second one finds many faults with the story. I would have to lean towards the second side, I thought the book seemed to promote sexism where the sexes are separate and have separate jobs. The women were stereotypically in charge of preparing the food while the men work the field and I didn’t think this was a great message to perpetuate to children. In addition to this, the story was a little hard to follow at times and the segue into the folktale was jarring.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The illustrations were done beautifully. While the story may be hard to follow, the illustrations are wonderful to look at. The author chose to tell the story from the viewpoint of a little girl, and I liked that decision. Instead of simply telling the folktale we get to see the girl wonder about the differences in the houses, which in turn makes us wonder as well.

Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book is based on a real village in Cameroon, so I would use this book to learn about mapping out different locations. I would want to (hopefully) be able to assemble an array of books from different locations that were relatively close so that the children could go through and map the location of each book, learning a little about each culture and how to read and draw maps as they went.

[Mikayla Lubahn]

My observation is that this is a Folklore because it tells the beliefs of this girl's culture and about her village's lifestyle. My connection to this book would be that I have beliefs too and at the beginning of the book when she talks about how she thought her village was "the natural order of things" I also use to think the same when I was young. Whatever my family's traditions were I thought that was what everyone did. I'm interested to know if there are other towns/villages that have these unique cultures too, but we just haven’t found them or heard of them yet. I was surprised to find out that this village and the girl are real. I was also surprised in the book when the grandma was telling the story how the men got the square houses and the women got the round houses. I enjoyed this book because it was interesting to learn something new and opened me to think about how other people may have their own stories that they believe in.

[Lulu Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ann Grifalconi has made profoundly important contributions to American children's literature as she has realized the importance of including the voices and stories of racially/ethnically marginalized communities.Her impressive repertoire of children's picture books includes stories with African and African American characters and themes. Village of Round and Square Houses is a story about a rural village in Cameroon. Grifalconi adapted the story of how the people in this particular village developed and normalized gender roles in the format of a children's book. As a Zimbabwean, myself, I could relate and respect the author paying authentic homage to African oral traditions and storytelling formatting. The emphasis on the people's affinity to nature and traditional spirituality is quite accurate for many African communities across the continent. Many communities use mythology to make sense of the real world. There may or may not have been a volcano which erupted in the Tos village a long time ago but the story of the volcano and the ancient ancestors helps elders explain why their society is set up the way it is. My grandfather used to tell me similar stories with the tortoise and the hare, and other animal stories. I was initially surprised by the content of this story. Many African children's books that have evident gendered roles never explain why they exist. They are just taken as fact and can often leave the reader thinking that all African communities are like that. I like how this story makes sure the reader knows that this a specific story with mythology that is particular to the people of the Tos Village. The author makes sure that the reader knows that these gendered roles weren't always like this but were something the community became accustomed to. The warm, vibrate illustrations compliment the colorfulness of the story very well. Overall, this is an interesting read and I would recommend it be read in classrooms.

[Miss Balzaretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In, the Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi, tells the culture of a small West African village in the Cameroons. This folk story explains the reasons why the women and children live in round houses while the men live in square houses. I really enjoy this book because it teaches the reader about a different culture and how they live. I feel like I could use this book in my classroom to teach my students about cultures outside of the United States and use it to probe questions about how we live and why. In this book the narrator, Osa, explains the cultural responsibilities of the community. The women and children are important for preparing meals and keeping the field clear of rocks while the men tend the fields. They also describe the ways the community shares meals together from the same bowls and how they eat in order of age, oldest to youngest. This engages the readers to the story of how the community lives in different houses based on their gender through a volcano explosion that happened long ago. I feel this story would allow for my students to think critically about the story and compare the community of the village and their own. The illustrations in this book are exceptionally done in water colors and colored pencil and really show the beauty of the Cameroons. This book was awarded as a Caldecott Honor book and after reading it I can understand why it is beautifully done in story and illustrations.

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1987 Caldecott Honor: Favorite Illustration: The grandmother and little girl sitting together outside the hut before Gran'ma begins her story.
I really liked this tale of how the village people came to live in round and square houses. I loved the beautiful colored pencil drawings that enhance the tale of the volcanic eruption while still keeping with the peaceful, family feel of the book. I love books like these that tell of different cultures and ways of living. I do wish, though, that there had been a bit more of an author's note, explaining exactly who it was that took her to the village, and what is fou-fou? Also, as a side note - I would hate not living with my own personal family (genders combined), but I do agree that it is important for everyone to have time together and time apart.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

HISTORICAL FICTION- Ed 230

This story is about an isolated Cameroonian village where men live in square houses and women live in circle ones. A young village girl asks her grandma why men and women live in different houses, and her grandmother then explains that this living situation began when a nearby volcano erupted. Only two houses were left standing in the village, one was round and one was square. The village chief then ordered the tall gray things, which were the men covered in ash, to go live in the square house. He then ordered the round gray things, the women, to live in the round houses.
I really enjoyed the artwork in this story, it was very detailed and beautiful. However, I was not too impressed with the story itself. I did not have much of a 'take away' after reading it.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the historical event of a volcanic eruption in the African rural Cameroon village of Tos, a young girl seeks to understand why the men live in round houses and the women of the village reside in square abodes.

The African folktale noted that after the volcano quieted, only one squae and one round house was left standing. This is a wonderful, engaging book covering traditions and remain generation after generation.

The book received a well-deserved Caldecott honor in 1987. The illustrations are colorful, bright and lively.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations capture the culture and history in this story perfectly. The faces are inviting and the story has a cheerful feel to it. The story is based on a real village in Africa. The story was told by a young girl who lived there to author of this book. In Tos, the village, even today, men live in square houses and the women and children live in round ones. This book tells the story of how this came to be. Well done picture book.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Caldecott Honor story book. This one is quite a bit longer than a typical Caldecott, but still a quick read. Basically the retelling of a village folktale. But with pretty good art and well written text. And it captures a time and a place and a different way of living, all of which I particularly like to see.

[Barbra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story describing a cultural phenomenon of a remote village in Africa where men and women live separately. The story describes a volcanic eruption that changed the way their people lived, to be separate, and states with surety that their way of life is different, and makes them happy.

[Kapra McMichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a book that talks about my men live in square houses and women live in round ones. Kids at a young age often separate themselves based on gender. So, I feel this is a book kids can relate to.

[Sarah Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the imagery in this book. It is very different from the production of images in the book Fables, but suiting to the story itself. The color in this story is prominent in explaining the tone of the story. When the reading speaks of happy things, the colors are bright and light. When the reading speaks of the scary tale from the past, the colors are dark and angry. At the end, the colors revert back to light and happy and the readers can tell the story ended on a good note whether they truly read it or not. The texture really stood out to me in this book as well. It is not so much a realistic texture, but a very appropriate texture. It seems to be done in a way where it looks as though these images were made with pastels. It is very clear actually, that that was the intention of the illustrator. I believe this texture is appropriate for the culture of the book and makes the images fit right in to the story. Also, the artwork consumes each and every entire page. The words are written on top of the imagery. This helps the story flow from one page to the next. The illustrations and color never stops, and neither does the writing. The last thing that was very well done about the images in this book was that though the texture was not that realistic, but appropriate, the images were very mature and helped the reader understand exactly how the place and people the story refers to, looked like.

I most definitely believe that this story is deserving of the Caldecott award. I actually really enjoyed the images in this book. The images draw the reader in, they are different than a lot of illustrations I've seen in picture books. They appear as though they were worked very hard on and required a lot of detail that the illustrator was willing to put in. The colors mend very well together and not only help develop the story, but are enjoyable to look at. Everything done with the imagery in this story is of high quality and appropriate. The artwork matches the story perfectly and frankly makes it better. This was one of my favorite books to "look at" and the pictures helped me move through the reading smoothly and understand what was going on.

[Shannon Ginley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:
This book is about the traditions, culture, routines, and history of the village of Tos by the Naka Mountain in west Africa. A young girl of the Tos village goes through her routine of the day, emphasizing the importance of the men living in the square houses and the women and children living in the round houses. One night, Gran'ma Tika told her the historic story of how the village came to be separated by square and round houses. The tradition was brought on and influenced by the Naka Mountain exploding with lava and ash and wiping out the entire village except for two houses, a square house and a round house, in which the men and women/children were split up into while they rebuilt the village.

Review:
I love how this story encompasses the culture of a west African village, as well as tells the story about how the village came to be what it is today. I find the culture and routines of this village to be very interesting, as there are particular and precise ways of doing everything, starting with the respect of the eldest member of the Tos village. The ancient story about the Naka Mountain exploding and destroying the village captivated me because it showed me how closely tied everyone in Tos is and how committed they are to helping each other out in this culture.

Book Connections:
I think this book relates well to "Under the Baobab Tree" by Julie Stiegemeyer. Both of these books pertain to the life and culture of people living in villages. The traditions and routines of each book's characters have a close relation with the priorities and values of their cultures.

Quote:
I think the last quote of the book is the most powerful of the story, stating, "Gran'ma laughed too: 'So you see, Osa, we live together peacefully here- because each one has a place to be apart, and a time to be together...' She took me by the hand and turned back to the round house. 'And that is how our way came about and will continue- Til Naka speaks again!'" This quote expresses the deep roots of tradition in the village of Tos. Gran'ma expresses her respect for the culture and is determined to teach her grandchildren the culture as well.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of reading the comments on this book, so now I need to write a review. People who are saying that this is a bad story because "separate is never equal," I say this:

You might be right, and you might not, but who are you to judge how another culture should live? Yes, this village is unique, with men in square houses and women in circular ones. This is unusual and kinda the point. I mean, it's in the title and everything. The villagers have their reasons that are meaningful to them, and it's okay if it doesn't make sense to you, THE POINT IS TO LEARN ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU. It's a learning technique called pulling your head out of your a$$. The system of round and square houses has been working for the villagers to some degree or their village would be empty. Through what lens are you judging their society? The lens in which how you live just so happens to be "right"--oh what a coincidence!--and how anyone else lives is wrong? Do you think you know better how to live than these villagers? Why is that exactly?

(Also, I would like to point out that men and women FREQUENTLY live in separate houses in Western society for various reasons, i.e. divorce, separation, religious reasons, students, singles, etc. so I really don't see why people are getting their knickers in a twist over that element).

This book has lovely illustrations and you will recognize elements if you know anything at all about Cameroon. It's a pleasant story about families, food, customs, respect for elders, and beliefs.

I think many kids would be interested in what families in Africa are like, whether their own parents live together or not. It's a good conversation starter for kids to imagine what it would be like to live in a village of round and square houses and all the other aspects that come with that.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Diverse Literature
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Audience: 3rd-5th Grade
A. This book focuses on the culture of the Tos villagers, found in the bottom go Naka Mountain in West Africa, and the story of how they came to live the way they do.
B. The story is of the cultural event when "Naka Mountain" erupted, spewing lava everywhere, and only certain people were saved and only two houses were saved. The women and children then went to live in the round houses while the men live in the square houses. The story seems to portray Naka almost like a god, one they thank for sparing their lives and separating them to live in peace while not living together.
C. The culture in this story is portrayed very positively and very childlike, as it is told from the point of view of an adult remembering, as a child, being told the cultural story by their grandmother. The child tells of the women cooking and singing, the men smoking tobacco, the kids playing in the river and catching fish, and how they would all come together to eat meals and tell stories.
D. In the story, Naka's eruption saves two houses, one round and one square. Defend the villagers for thinking that this meant they could only live in those two styles of houses. If I were one of the people of this village, looking up to Naka as a god almost, I would certainly think that her destroying of all the other houses would mean that we should only be living in those types of houses. I would not rebuild any other type of house, instead rebuilding houses very similar to the ones saved.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi received the Caldecott Honor Book Award in 1987 for one of the most distinguished picture books for children. As an African folk tale, learning about an actual village, To, and how it came to be that women lived in the round houses and men in the squared houses was quite enjoyable and informative to me. I believe it is important that we all learn about each other’s cultures so we can celebrate our similarities and differences. Grifalconi uses bright colors, such as yellow, orange and purple, in her illustrations in the beginning of the story to represent the mood of happiness in the village. Then, as the great Naka Mountain burst open, Grifalconi switches the colors in the middle of the story to darker colors of black and grey, to signify ashes everywhere and the volcano erupting, making the villagers fearful of the mountain. In my observation, it appears that the illustrations are created by using watercolors and folk art. The story has mostly double page spread illustrations, which provide the reader with lots of details about the villagers’ appearances, along with what the village of To looks like. The words are written at the bottom of the page, so as not to distract from the focus on the illustration. The cover has a picture of a round house and a square house in the village, to match the title of the book. As a teacher, I would use this book to teach about African culture. I would have the children build one of the houses in the story and write a summary of the book to go with their house.

[ConnieLettow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gran'ma Tika, the best storyteller in the village tells the story of why there are 2 types of houses in the village of Tos in Cameroon. The story she tells is from long, long ago to when Old Mother Naka, the mountain next to the village erupts, sends lava and ash down the hillside and destroys the village. All except for two houses, one round, and one square. The people are spared and the wonder if the houses are a sign from Naka. The village chief separates the people by age and sex and tells the women and children to live in the round houses and the men to live in the square houses. Each group has their own sets of chores in the village. The children picked rocks and serve the food, the women cooked and raised the children and the men farmed in the new rich soil. Each group has a place to be apart, and a place to be together.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 1987 Caldecott Honor Book •

This is an interesting book, but it just left me with a lot of questions after reading it. The author says this is a real village and based on someone's true story - I've no reason to not believe her. Some reviews here have said there's a photo in the book of the author standing in a village of round and square houses - my edition didn't have that photo. I would have liked more information. When do the children separate into different houses? How close do husbands and wives/children live near each other? This book was written in 1986, so I'd be curious if the village still exists and if they still live like this. The drawings are beautiful! (Pastels?)

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Izzy Templeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unique story is of an African legend of why the village of Tos has the men live in square houses and the women in round houses. It also says why the women in the village do what they do, as well as the men and children. It is all told from the point of view of a little boy and his grandmother.

I liked this book a lot. It wasn't what I expected it to be but the illustrations really help make this story come to life. It really shows and teaches the reader about this particular legend as well as African culture.

In a classroom setting, this book would be great to teach about African cultures and art styles. This is due to the illustrations in the book, since they greatly reflect that.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

1987 Caldecott Honor book. I wasn't super drawn to this one. The pictures are well done and show a glimpse into a remote Cameroon village (I wonder if it still appears this way 40 years later, or if this book is a time capsule of sorts?) The folktale itself is a why-we-do-things-this-way kind of story, with the result being that the people have grown or become accustomed to having different houses, but there's not a big takeaway from the tale itself. I guess the fact that the people live peacefully because "each one has a place to be apart, and a time to be together" IS the great takeaway, but Im just not sure what children would glean from that.

[ElleryS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional children's literature
2nd-4th grade reading level
I thought this was a beautiful book! It depicted the culture of the village of Tos vividly, both with the style of storytelling and the illustrations. The colors used were so vibrant they lent an air of vibrancy to the whole culture. The whole concept of the story - that men and women lived in different shaped houses because Naka showed them it was to be so - had such an air of charm that it immediately pulled me in and bewitched me with the telling. I would definitely recommend this book to children (and adults!).

[Paige Riechmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a beautifully told story about real life in Cameron. The purpose of this book is to help readers learn about other cultures and traditions. It shares how stories can be passed down from one generation to another. It also gives readers a window into another person's life. This is a good book to have in a classroom because it offers different windows into others' lives. I believe this is important to have so that students understand where another person may come from because no one is the same.