Don't Spill the Milk!

The exuberance and delight in this picture book are due to the wonderful pictures of life in an African village – full of movement and pattern and colour.  Penda wants to be allowed to carry a bowl of milk to her father, who is looking after the sheep up in the grasslands, and when her mother gives her permission, she milks the cow and off she goes, carrying the bowl of milk on her head.  There are adventures on the way:  a camel train, complete with ‘a flock of desert jinns’, a mask dance with the dancers wearing weird and wonderful animal masks, a ride on a boat, and a herd of ‘pale giraffes’.  The last hurdle is a tall mountain, but up she goes, and at the top, there is Daddy and his sheep.  Will Daddy get his milk?  Penda has certainly been careful, but accidents can happen, and what Penda learns is all about love.  Besides enjoying an excellent story and the explosion of colour and detail in the pictures, children will also learn something about a different culture and way of life, and Penda’s determination to do what she started out to do, whatever the obstacles, is an excellent life lesson.  A captivating book!