Penda DiakitéRecensioni

This book is geared towards older elementary students.

This book highlights some key parts of African culture as a young girl goes to visit her family in Africa. This book also teaches about loosing a tooth and would be fun to use in a classroom to teach about loosing teeth and a little information on another culture.½

This book is a good read that shares about African family traditions. It would be perfect for primary readers in that it has representations of time and an exciting ending about family history.

I think this book would be good for upper elementary schoolers. This book gives a fun look into a part of African Culture within a fun story! I think kids would be able to not only learn about a different part of the world but can relate to the part of life with losing teeth!

"I Lost my Tooth in Africa" is a cute story about a girl named Amina. She lives in Portland, Oregon and her family is traveling to Mali to visit family. She has a loose tooth and really hopes to lose it while she is in Africa. If she looses it while she's in Africa, she will receive a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy. This story expresses the excitement many children get when they start to lose teeth. It emphasizes the tooth fairy tradition in another culture and shows children and shows the differences. I also like how other traditions are talked about, such as waking up every morning and greeting the grandmother for blessings.

I stumbled across this book at the library while browsing and was drawn in by the hilarious and cute title. The story is about what happened when the author's sister lost her tooth on a family trip to Mali (spoiler: there a chickens involved). The illustrations are eye-catching and joyful, and the story is just as fun as the title. Preschooler Monkey is very eager to lose a tooth now! (As I'm writing this, she's upstairs playing with her cousin. "Let's pretend we're in Africa! I lost my tooth!")

All young children are fascinated with loose teeth. Amina has a loose tooth while she is visiting her extended family in Mali, but will it come out before she has to return to the states? African village life comes alive with the bright illustrations and simple text.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed this book for two reasons. The first reason is, I like the descriptions used throughout the story. For example, the book says "with the first golden rays of the sun, the noisy rooster begins to crow". I also liked the book because of the glossary in the back. Throughout the story they use words from the Bambara African language. In the back of the book they have a glossary for the words they used. For example, in the glossary it says chickens are "shay den" in Bambara. The lesson in the story is that although you may not live in the country her family does, a part of her will always be there, like Amina's chickens in Africa.

This is a thoroughly satisfying story in a which a girl visiting her family in Mali loses her tooth. There are different traditions and she knows that if she loses her tooth in Mali she will receive a chicken! The illustrations are beautiful and by the author's mother, giving motion and amusement to the animals surrounding the family home in Mali. The chickens cluck across the page and provide entertainment for all. Anyone can experience the excitement of losing a first tooth, encountering new traditions, and learning about a new place. Rather than worry or fear, we're wrapped up in the protagonists tooth loss, chicken care taking, and farewells to her family far away. A wonderful story anyone could enjoy.½

In this book, I really liked how culture was incorporated into this nonfiction piece. The book, I Lost My Tooth in Africa, by Penda Diakité, is great because I liked the illustrations, the plot, and the point of view. First, the illustrations were colorful and culturally detailed, such as the clothing that was worn and the way they huddled around each other for family gatherings and their braided hair and the orange sandy environment. Second, the plot was interesting because the little girl main character, didn’t get to watch the chicks grow up, but she got to see them hatch. And she really did get a chicken from the African tooth fairy, not just one, but two! While reading, the author is encouraged to predict whether her parents were telling her the truth about getting chicks for her tooth loss, and when she did receive chickens, I was completely happily surprised! Third, I like the point of view because the author wrote about her sister as if she was her. She wrote from her sister’s point of view which was interesting to learn in the author’s notes. The big idea of this book is that culture is important and encourages you change your perspective on life and see life in new ways.

I liked this book for two main reasons. The first reason I liked this book was the language that the author used. She wrote half of the book in English and the other half in the native language of those who live in Mali, West Africa. This tool was culturally-inclusive and made the story more interesting. The second reason I liked the book was the illustrations and the message that they conveyed. For example, Amina, the protagonist, goes to sleep one night in a bed that is protected by a mosquito net. The image of Amina sleeping protected by this type of net symbolizes one of the many issues that those who live in Africa have to live with: the fear of contracting malaria. The language and illustrations were two major reasons I liked this book. The big idea of this story was that it is important for every person to connect with his/her culture and be aware of customs within that culture.

I enjoyed the book I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite and illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite. I really enjoyed how the illustrations greatly described what the text on the page was about. For example, it showed Amira greeting her grandpa when she first got to Africa, that was also what that page was about. I also really liked how on each page, there was a picture frame around the illustrations. Each picture frame had different objects in it that described the plot of the story. Some of these objects included teeth, music notes, and chickens. I also liked this book because the point of view was in first person. This really helped the reader understand Amria’s journey though her trip through Africa and how she felt because she was the narrator. All Amira wanted to do was have her chicken hatch before she left for Africa and on the last day of her trip, the chicken finally hatched. This shows the main idea that good things happen to those who wait.

There are two reasons why I appreciated this book. First, I liked that the story was based on a real incident. The author’s sister actually lost a tooth and as tradition goes, she put the tooth underground and received a chicken. The author described the tradition that her family does when a person loses their tooth and how monumental this is. I liked how this story reflected exactly what happened to her sister in real life. The story stayed true to the author’s roots even down to her routine trips to Africa with her family. Second, I liked the use of language and culture. The author included African words and translations into English. The author included much of the culture into this book. She expresses the African dinner of eggplant and noodles, and the illustrations depict what the people wear. Overall this book is informative and interesting.

A young girl travels from Portland, OR to Bamako, Mali in Africa with her family to visit their extended family, including her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother. While she is there, she loses a tooth, receives a chicken and a rooster and watches her baby chicks hatch. We see native plants, native foods, her family's home (compound), and traditions practiced by her family.

Ages 4-8
Pierce County Library

Thanks for suggesting this book to me, I spend every other summer in Africa so reading this book and looking at the pictures that were so accurate, got me excited for my next visit just like Amina. Comparing this book to the last tooth fairy book I read, I loved that while the other one was rewarded with a coin, Amina was rewarded with chickens. I would have rather the chickens, too.

This book followed a family tradition of the common known “tooth fairy.” The overall focus/theme in this story was a fictional storytelling of how to prepare a lost tooth for the tooth fairy in Africa, by placing it under a gourd in exchange for a chicken.
Overall I enjoyed this book because I found it quite interesting to hear a spin on stories I grew up with as a child and the ways they differ in other countries. Some things that I enjoyed were the illustrations in this book. They were very fun and easy for the children to relate to. For example, in one of the pages Diakite does an excellent job of turning the picture of a place into a chicken. The pictures are fun and colorful for children to follow along with.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book is how relatable it was, especially for children in the United States. Most children are familiar with the tooth fairy that brings money, so for them to hear a twist on cultural traditions they are familiar with was interesting. I think this book does an excellent job of drawing in children’s attention and pacing them through the story. I also found it interesting that in the prelude of the story and the way Diakite discusses how storytelling was such a large part of her childhood (also relatable to children).

I enjoyed reading the children’s picture book I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite. This story is based on the author’s real life when her little sister lost her tooth in Africa. This is important to them because it is tradition that if you lose a tooth in Africa and place it under a gourd, you will receive a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy. In relation to this, I think the main message is pride and excitement. When the girl loses her tooth she says, “I am so proud. I lost my tooth in Africa! A shiny white tooth! Soon, I will have a chicken of my very own.” Then, when she finds two chickens in place of her tooth, she is very proud and takes care of them very well. One part of the book I really appreciated was the vibrant visuals with specific details to highlight parts of the story. For example, there was a whole page about the family’s favorite dinner together, “rice and onion sauce with African eggplant and tiny noodles”. It described how they all eat around one big bowl, everyone using their right hand to eat. Following this beautiful cultural description is a detailed, thoughtful illustration of the family eating the soup. There were additionally beautiful borders surrounding each page with small images that represent what the story is describing. Another reason I liked the book is due to the glossary of African words, which are also incorporated into the story. For example, “All morning I play tegere tillon with my cousins,” which means a singing and clapping game with children dancing. This aspect of the story brings in appreciation of other cultures around the world.

The main idea of this story was about learning to be patient and good things will come. This book also included the African culture and family traditions. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I liked how the main character, Amina, lived in the United States, but was visiting her family who lives in Africa. Readers get to compare the American traditions to the African ones, like the tooth fairy. In America, the tooth fairy brings us money when we lose a tooth, but in Africa, the tooth fairy brings chickens. I also liked how the author made the story a very positive story. Even though Amina gets upset when her tooth does not fall out right away, she learns how to be patient. After she loses her tooth, the tooth fairy does not come right away. This is another part of the story where Amina tests her patients. I also enjoyed that even thought the story was about the Amina losing her tooth, the author also intertwined the African traditions into the story. For example, Aunt Kadja made Aminas favorite dinner. Amina describes the meal and how they eat it. Lastly, I liked how each page had a patterned border around it, and each border represented the main idea of that page. This intrigues the reader’s attention before they read the page to hint what it is going to be about. Overall, I thought this book was a great representation of the universal milestone all children go through.

In my opinion this was a great book. First, the text was engaging and very descriptive. It was told in first person and had a nice steady pace, which made it more enjoyable to read. In addition, the characters were very real to me and well developed. The beautiful pictures enhanced the story and pushed readers to compare the life of loosing a tooth in America to loosing a tooth in Africa. It also gave examples in the story of African Language and provided a key to better help the reader pronounce the unfamiliar words. Overall, the main idea of the story is that change isn't always a bad thing, and that patience is a virtue!

What a fun, engaging and surprisingly thoughtful story about a young girl from Portland who accompanies her family to West Africa to spend several weeks with her extended family. She has a loose tooth and hopes it will fall out while she is in West Africa so she can get a chicken from the African tooth fairy. She has a great deal of fun finding out when it happens and whether she gets her chicken. This book also depicts the difference in culture, by the illustrations and by different aspects of the tooth fairy. In American culture, the tooth fairy is associated with finding money under your pillow, In Amina's African culture, instead of money under a pillow, you would find a chicken under a gourd.

There were several aspects I enjoyed about this book. The story is about a young girl who is about to lose a tooth on her family homage to Africa. She is very excited, as per African tradition, when one loses a tooth they get a chicken! The text provides background to how days are spent in Amina's family's village. I enjoyed that each page had a new word to learn in Amina's language as it bridged a gap between the culture and the reader. The story was relatable to many children while also providing insight into another culture's customs. What I did not like about this book was while it was relatable to the intended audience, it kind of dragged along and was not a very engaging story.

This little girl who grew up in America visits her fathers culture. This book introduces cultural differences. In a positive and sensitive way.

In this story, a little girl who has grown up in America is reintroduced to her father's African culture. A good growing up story that treats family and cultural difference in a positive and sensitive way. The author based the story on the actual experiences of her younger sister and herself.

Amina wants to lose her loose tooth while visiting her family in Africa so that the African tooth fairy can exchange it for chickens! Best for kids 3-5 years old.

Amina is excited to lose her tooth on a trip to visit her family in Mali, because the African Tooth Fairy is going to give her a chicken for her tooth. I loved that this book offered a positive and personal view of Africa (not too common in children's literature), and I was drawn into the vivid illustrations. Unfortunately, the prose was a little dry: almost entirely tell-not-show with very scattered dialogue. I do want to try out the recipe at the back of the book.½

This is a great multicultural book that all students will love. The true story that the book is based on is truly heartwarming. Students, especially in the primary grades, will love this book because it follows a little girl and her adventure in Africa. It teaches about the culture in Mali.