Mama Elizabeti
Mama Elizabeti
Picture Book / Ages 5-8 / Tanzania
Lee & Low Books
2000
A girl in Africa learns how to help take care of her younger siblings, including a new baby sister.
Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen has teamed up again with Christy Hale to create a follow-up to the 1998 ELIZABETI’S DOLL. In MAMA ELIZABETI, Stuve-Bodeen focuses on the responsibilities of motherhood. She has continueda biographical story of a young girl whom she met while a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania. Elizabeti no longer plays mother with her rock. In MAMA ELIZABETI, she has the duty to take care of her brother. Unlike her rock doll, Elizabeti’s brother is not cooperative or docile. He pulls her hair, dumps her rice, soils her clean laundry, and spills her water container. She discovers that babysitting can even be dangerous when she loses track of her brother. This story like the previous one is engaging. Many of the situations of the first book are parallel to those of the second book which enables teachers to elaborate on family values in rural East African communities. The illustrations provide an excellent view of rural Tanzania and the work of young and old women such as carrying water and cooking. The soft, earthy tones of the illustrations provide a sense of peace and tranquility. The illustrations also give insights into daily life such as the well and market place. The two books together provide a good example of informal education in Tanzania for girls in rural Tanzania. However, this book, in contrast to the previous one, is more realistic of current life in Tanzania. Thus, it receives a higher rating. – Patricia Kuntz, Madison Wisconsin