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This bilingual book is part of the Somali Biligual Book Project Translation Initiative coordinated by the Minnesota Humanities Commission (MHC). This book reflects the MHC's commitment to promote and preserve heritage languages and increase English literacy skills of refugee and immigrant families. About the story: The hungry animals of the Somali forest have worked together to kill a big fat camel. Now they must decide how to divide it. Will the portions be equal? Not with the lion in charge! Read this popular Somali folktale and see why, as the other animals come to understand, "the lion's share is not fair!" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Said Salah Ahmed was born in Somalia. He is an established poet, storyteller, playwritght, filmmaker, and writer. A lifetime educator, he is currently a biligual teacher and resides with his family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is his first children's book in English. Kelly Dupre is an artist and writer. The natural environment and the art of indigenous cultures are her greatest influences. A former special education teacher, she lives in Grand Marais, Minnesota, with her husband. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3—On a bright sunny day, a group of animals hunt together in the forests of Somalia. They eventually find a herd of camels and separate one from the others. The pack drags it under the shade of an acacia and anxiously awaits the lion's permission for a portion of it. They are ravenous but they know that they must receive approval first. The lion selects one of the older hyenas to suggest a plan to divide the carcass. He thinks for a moment and then proposes that half of the meat go to the lion and that the other half be shared by the clan. The lion violently disapproves of this plan and demands that a fox put forth a better one, which she does, allocating most of the meat to "our noble king." Naturally the lion is delighted, but the other animals leave "…with grief and spread out in the forest, chanting: 'The lion's share is not fair, the lion's share is not fair.'" The English text is straightforward and economical, and the facing Somali version is accurate. The narratives are perfectly matched with painted linoleum block prints. The muted browns, yellows, and blues showcase the intricate carvings and suggest a hazy, hot day in Africa. This is the first book in the Minnesota Humanities Commission's Somali Bilingual Book Project featuring Somali authors and illustrators. It's an excellent choice to extend folktale collections and to provide refugee children a slice of their culture.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
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From Booklist
The first of four Somali-English bilingual books featuring traditional Somali folktales, this handsome picture book tells a stark animal fable about the misuse of power. The hungry animals work together to kill a big, fat camel, but when the lion in charge asks how to divide the meat, the hyena makes the mistake of suggesting a fair share for all. The furious lion attacks the hyena, which loses an eye and limps away in disgrace. The other animals then give the ruler so much that there is little left for them. "The lion's share is not fair," is the stark message, and there's no reversal that shows the weak tricking the powerful. Dramatic linoleum block prints, painted with acrylic and gouache in shades of brown and red, illustrate the story, which displays the English words on the left and the Somali on the right. Rooted in the East African setting, the fable will spark discussion about the meaning of the title. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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