Mama Elizabeti

Starred review from July 1, 2000
PreS-Gr 2-Stuve-Bodeen builds on the poignant themes of Elizabeti's Doll (Lee & Low, 1998), while giving readers an expanded view of life in this African village. The child's day is filled with sweeping, washing, and picking rocks from the rice. She must also look after her young brother, as Mama has a new baby who needs care. Securing Obedi to her back with a kanga, Elizabeti confidently starts out on her way to the village well. However, Obedi is a squirmer, he's mischievous, plus he's heavy. Finally, Elizabeti drops her water jug and slumps in despair. She sets the boy down and quickly fetches the water. When she returns, he's gone, but her fears turn to joy as he takes his first toddling steps back to her and gives her a loud, wet kiss. Getting home is no longer a problem; Elizabeti simply ties the kanga from her waist to his and lets him walk. While the child's challenges as a caregiver are specific to her environment, the frustrations she feels are universal. Readers might see her life as a hardship, but no such emotion is expressed. The illustrations bring this world alive. Hale perfectly captures the spontaneity and totality of a toddler's love, and the intimacy among family members is heartwarming and palpable. This is a loving, sensitive book to be shared and cherished.-Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2000
Ages 6^-8. The sequel to "Elizabeti's Doll" (1998) moves the story of a family living in contemporary Tanzania forward by adding a baby to big sister Elizabeti's family. Elizabeti feels confindent when her mother asks her to help care for her toddler brother, Obedi. After all, she's been caring for her rock doll since Obedi was born. But as Elizabeti discovers, it's complicated to watch out for Obedi as she goes about her chores of sweeping the sod floor of their hut, picking rocks out of the rice, and fetching water. A crisis comes when Elizabeti, puzzling over how to get both the water jug and her wriggling brother back home from the village well, loses track of Obedi. Stuve-Bodeen gives young readers an opportunity to explore another culture through the familiar problem of caring for a troublesome sibling as Hale's mixed-media illustrations catch the rich textures of African clothing, their muted backgrounds emphasizing the characters in the wise story with an ultimately happy end. ((Reviewed August 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)