Bintou's Braids by Sylviane A. Diouf

Bintou is a young girl in a small village who wants to have beautiful braids instead of four little tufts of hair. All of the ladies and the older girls have beautiful long braids with seashells and gold coins. Bintou's mother explains to her that she is too young to have these braids. Bintou wants beautiful braids so that birds can nest there. But one day Bintou sees fisherman in need of help. She runs through the bush calling for help. Because she was so brave and helped the fisherman her grandmother made her yellow and blue birds to put in her hair.

This is a wonderful story of culture and tradition. I recommend this book for all ages. Shane Evans has done a fantastic job of illustrating this book. The bright colors bring Bintou and her village to life. If you would like to learn more about Sylviane A. Diouf please visit her site at http://www.sylvianediouf.com/. If you would like to learn more about Shane Evans and other books he has illustrated please visit his site at http://www.sylvianediouf.com/.