funfetti7's review against another edition
5.0
Blogged this review here.
Another great book from Jim Averbeck. The Market Bowl is about a little girl named Yoyo living in modern day Cameroon. Everyday, Yoyo and Mama Cécile make ndolé --bitterleaf stew--for the market. But when Yoyo demands an unfair price for the bowl of stew she hastily slopped together by herself, Brother Coin puts a curse on their market bowl. Having learned her lesson, Yoyo must then figure out away to trick the Great Spirit of the Market into blessing the bowl again.
The Market Bowl book reads like a classic folktale, with every page feeling warm, familiar, and very engaging. Smatterings of foreign words throughout the text make the book fun to read out loud. I love Yoyo's cute pigtails and her willful behavior. Preschooler Monkey (formerly known as Toddler Monkey) loves the song at the beginning describing how to make bitterleaf stew ("Mommy, can we make bitterleaf stew tomorrow?") and has millions of questions about ever page. It also doesn't hurt that Yoyo is Infant Monkey's nickname :). And while Preschooler Monkey finds Brother Coin just a tiny bit scary, that actually only makes the book that much more alluring for her.
Definitely worth checking out, though I wouldn't recommend reading it on an empty stomach...
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book directly from the publisher.
Another great book from Jim Averbeck. The Market Bowl is about a little girl named Yoyo living in modern day Cameroon. Everyday, Yoyo and Mama Cécile make ndolé --bitterleaf stew--for the market. But when Yoyo demands an unfair price for the bowl of stew she hastily slopped together by herself, Brother Coin puts a curse on their market bowl. Having learned her lesson, Yoyo must then figure out away to trick the Great Spirit of the Market into blessing the bowl again.
The Market Bowl book reads like a classic folktale, with every page feeling warm, familiar, and very engaging. Smatterings of foreign words throughout the text make the book fun to read out loud. I love Yoyo's cute pigtails and her willful behavior. Preschooler Monkey (formerly known as Toddler Monkey) loves the song at the beginning describing how to make bitterleaf stew ("Mommy, can we make bitterleaf stew tomorrow?") and has millions of questions about ever page. It also doesn't hurt that Yoyo is Infant Monkey's nickname :). And while Preschooler Monkey finds Brother Coin just a tiny bit scary, that actually only makes the book that much more alluring for her.
Definitely worth checking out, though I wouldn't recommend reading it on an empty stomach...
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book directly from the publisher.
tashrow's review
4.0
Mama Cecile taught Yoyo to make bitterleaf stew, the same stew they sold at the market. But Yoyo thought that the entire process took too long, so she took some shortcuts herself. Then she snuck her batch of stew along with them to the market. Mama Cecile warned Yoyo that they must always accept a fair price for their stew, otherwise Brother Coin, the Great Spirit of the Market, would remove his blessing from their bowl. After selling all of Mama Cecile’s stew, there was still one customer left, so Yoyo pulled out her own stew and tried to sell that. But she rejected his small offer for her stew. Thunder rolled and through the next days, no one came to their staff at the market. Now it was up to Yoyo to fix what she had done. That would take traveling to see Brother Coin in person.
Set in modern-day Cameroon, this story skillfully blends folk elements as it talks about the culture as well. The book will make a great read aloud thanks to the ease of the language used and the natural rhythm of the storytelling. It would also be a great candidate for storytelling for those reasons too.
Averbeck’s art has a strong modern edge to it. He shows the gorgeous textiles that people wear. Additionally, he uses textures and patterns to create other objects as well, such as the shanty houses and details of interior scenes.
A modern-day folk tale, this is a rich glimpse into Cameroon. The book ends with a recipe for bitterleaf stew too! Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Set in modern-day Cameroon, this story skillfully blends folk elements as it talks about the culture as well. The book will make a great read aloud thanks to the ease of the language used and the natural rhythm of the storytelling. It would also be a great candidate for storytelling for those reasons too.
Averbeck’s art has a strong modern edge to it. He shows the gorgeous textiles that people wear. Additionally, he uses textures and patterns to create other objects as well, such as the shanty houses and details of interior scenes.
A modern-day folk tale, this is a rich glimpse into Cameroon. The book ends with a recipe for bitterleaf stew too! Appropriate for ages 4-6.
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