The Magic Gourd

Bibliography
Diakite, Baba Wague. 2003. The Magic Gourd. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439439602.

Plot Summary
While a rabbit is searching for food in a draught struck countryside, he finds a chameleon stuck in thorny bushes. Since the rabbit is helpful by nature he helps the chameleon. As a gift the chameleon gives the rabbit a magic gourd. With the magic gourd the rabbit not only feeds his family but also his friends and neighbors. The greedy king hears about this magic gourd and takes it away from the rabbit. The rabbit then gets another gift from the chameleon that helps him teach the king a lesson and get his magic gourd back.

Critical Analysis
Diakite retells a traditional folktale of good wins over evil from his native of Mali. The story like most traditional folktales involves magic and animals that talk and act like people. The values of helping others, kindness, friendship, and generosity are stressed in this story. Through this story Diakite introduces the rich culture of the native Mali. The beautiful ceramic art illustrations are bordered with traditional mud cloth designs that is a unique textile technique used in Mali. The illustrations are embossed on bright colored backgrounds making the illustrations stand out to the readers. The illustrations are ethnically authentic and give the readers an idea of African culture.

At the end Diakite presents a song of praise which is considered to be important in Mali. The authors note presents a background of himself and his inspiration to tell these rabbit stories. Diakite also gives a detailed description of the mud clothe pattern used in his illustrations. The author includes a glossary of words and meanings used in national language of Mali, Bambara. The author gives as interesting note about similar stories and their origins.

This book is winner of 2004 Aesop Prize winner for its folklore content and illustrations that accurately reflect the culture.