NOT SO FAST, SONGOLOLO

by Niki Daly ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1986

An evocative depiction of a young black boy in South Africa and his warm relationship with his grandmother. Sonogololo takes his grandmother, Gogo, into the city to do her shopping. She needs his help because she is overwhelmed by the noises and crowds of the big city. They walk from shop to shop as Gogo makes her purchases. Songololo dawdles while he waits for Gogo to catch up--she is very old and walks with the aid of a cane--and he window-shops. He is especially drawn to a pair of bright red tackles (sneakers). Her errands done, Gogo buys the new tackles to replace the worn, secondhand pair Songololo has on. Then he happily speeds along, and the two laughingly agree that maybe if Gogo had her own new pair of tackles, she would walk faster, too. Daly's descriptions are simple yet pungent: ""Gogo was old, but her face shone like new school shoes. Her hands were large and used to hard work, but they were gentle."" Her watercolor-and-magic-marker illustrations are drawn freely with bright splashes of color, bringing vividly to life familiar and unfamiliar elements in the South African milieu. Lovely, appealing, and should be even more popular since it is based on that universal childhood drama, getting new shoes.

Pub Date: March 1, 1986

ISBN: 0003674231

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1986

Categories: CHILDREN'S