A marvelous storytelling voice with a playful tone relates the circular tale of Bamba the Crocodile who is on his way to Mecca with his family. After Bamba begs Donso, a passing hunter for help, the hunter finds himself in precarious waters, both literally and figuratively. Because Donso and other humans have not lived in harmony with nature, the hunter receives little sympathy from a cow " dingi-donga," an old horse " ke-te-ba," a chicken " ko, ko, ko, ko. " A nearby mango tree also declines to help Donso. However Rabbit gives sound advice, and even Bamba agrees to help when Donso has a second crisis. This volume offers a perfect example of a text completely unified with its visual elements. Growing up in a village in Mali, West Africa, Diakite is close to his storytelling heritage. As an artist using the clay surfaces of pottery for his canvas, Diakité created the artwork here on hand-painted ceramic tiles. Diakité's note provides personal background and suggests Aclose cousins" of this tale, such as the Korean tale The Rabbit's Judgment retold by Suzanne Crowder Han and illustrated by Yumi Heo (Henry Holt, 1994), an African American variant and one from India. (Ages 5-9)

Donso, a West African hunterman, learns the importance of living in harmony with nature and the necessity of placing humans among, not above, all other living things.