Yantandou

Title: Yatandou

Author: Gloria Whelan

Illustrator: Peter Sylvada

Picture Book

                This book takes you around the world to Mali, Africa. Yatandou is an eight-year-old girl who lives in a small village in the heart of Mali. Every day, they pound their millet with their pounding stick. It is hard work and takes most of the day. The women of the village are saving all their extra money to buy a machine that grinds millet. Even Yatandou makes a sacrifice to add money to fund. Together, they soon have enough money to buy the machine. The machine comes to their village, but the women need to write down who used the machine and what they paid. None of the women can write or read. A woman from the city comes to teach them. Now the women of the village have this wonderful new machine and they can read and write. Wonderful story! A good reminder of how much we have been given. Just a quick note, it does talk briefly about some of the African traditions concerning evil spirits.