Babu's Song

March 17, 2003
Set in Tanzania, Stuve-Bodeen's (Elizabeti's Doll) predictable but touching story focuses on a boy who lives with his grandfather, a mute toymaker ("Illness had taken his voice a long time ago"). Bernardi sells Babu's toys at market, bringing home enough money for the two to live—but not enough to pay for the two things Bernardi most wants—school tuition and his own soccer ball. One evening Babu gives Bernardi a present: a handmade music box that plays a tune that Babu used to sing. When the lad brings it to market along with other toys, a tourist offers him so much money that he agrees to sell it. Resisting the temptation to buy a soccer ball with the cash, he gives it to Babu, who spends the money in a way that will please though not surprise readers. Despite the obvious set-up and occasionally strained writing ("He loved soccer and his one concern was making a goal"), the rapport between grandfather and grandson emerges as genuinely heartwarming. Debut artist Boyd contributes impressionistic and vivid watercolors. The perspective is sometimes muddled but the characters are full of life. Ages 4-8.