ABC 13. The Hatseller and the Monkeys

And here we are: the first book of August for the Anansi Book Club; here's the August schedule. We're beginning the month with a beautiful book written and illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité, who was born in Mali and is now based in Oregon. Here's the book: The Hatseller and the Monkeys, published in 1999:

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Just look at this gorgeous artwork! That is the hatseller, with all the hats for sale on his head. And look at the book design too, with the beautiful border:

The border is made up of monkeys, who are going to be important characters in the story too:

It's always so great to see a book that is illustrated by the author. As we've learned from previous books, sometimes the illustrator works completely independently of the author, while sometimes they collaborate, and you can never be sure which (unless there's a note from the author and/or artist). But in cases like this, where the author illustrates their own book, you know that the images are there to convey meaning together with the words, working in tandem to convey the author's imaginative vision.

One of my favorite things about this book is the page of notes in the back: why don't all folktale books have notes like this in the back about how the storyteller first learned the story and how they adapted it for the book, etc. etc.? Here is the notes page (click on the image for a larger view):

So, for example, we get to learn about when Diakité first heard the story as a child:

I first heard the story of "BaMusa and the Monkeys" in my home country of Mali, in Africa. The Fulani of Mali are by tradition cattle herders, and so, naturaly, they are also milk sellers. A Fulani milk seller came to our family compound daily to sell us milk. One particular day, he arrived wearing two wide-brimmed, cone-shaped hats called dibiri. The children laughed, but the Fulani man said that, with two hats stacked, one gets twice as much protection from the sun and heat. My uncle, however, was reminded of the hatseller story, and, that evening, he told it to us.

Another way Diakité uses the note is to point to parallel versions of this story, which is a global folktale, found in Africa and beyond. So, for example, if you want to compare his version to another version of the "same" story, his note point you here: Frances Carpenter's African Wonder Tales, which is also available at the Archive. The story is titled there: The Monkeys and the Little Red Hats, and this version is from the Sudan. The illustration is by Joseph Escourido (click on the image for a larger view):

Carpenter's book is a useful resource, especially because she drew her stories from some French language sources not otherwise available in English.

For today's update (it's Friday!), I wanted to share another book by Diakité which Helen mentioned in today's spaces: The Hunterman and the Crocodile. You can also read this book at the Internet Archive; the artwork is delightful, and this book won a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor in 1998!

Here's one of the illustrations from that book; you'll recognize Diakité's style I think!

And here is some more about Diakité's artwork: it is a webpage from the U.S. Department of State honoring artists whose work can be seen in U.S. embassies around the world, and Diakité is one of those artists! I especially like this item: Hold Onto My Back.

For this week's final update, here's a lovely interview with the author where he talks about art, and about storytelling too: Malian artist Baba Wague uses clay as canvas for folklore.

And now, just kick back and enjoy the wonderful story and the wonderful artwork; it's just a click away at the Internet Archive! 

The Hatseller and the Monkeys 

by Baba Wagué Diakité