SUNNE'S GIFT

A picture book presents an original fable about a magical being who learns the consequences of believing bullies’ lies.

In the beginning, Nyame, the Creator, is “bored with the barren world.” With just a thought, Nyame makes many magnificent things, then creates four magical beings: Sunne, Earthe, Watre, and Winde. Each of the beings, called magbees, has a special gift and an appearance that symbolizes that power. For a time, the four magbees work together to keep the world running. But when they look at their reflections in the river, they discover that only Sunne has hair that stands tall rather than flows down. After being mocked, Sunne tries to flatten the tall hair with disastrous results: The sun vanishes. Only Nyame’s return allows Sunne to regain the gift of the sun and teaches all the magbees a lesson about respecting others. In this series opener, Davis’ beautiful illustrations give the magbees a wonderfully mythical feel. His emphasis on depicting diversity perfectly evokes the theme of valuing differences. Yawson’s language adopts a formal vocabulary—imbued, dwell—to emphasize the folktale tone. Her use of Nyame as the Creator, drawing on the tradition of the Akan people of Ghana, may encourage readers to seek out more original stories from that area. The author’s choice to show the bullies realizing the magnitude of their actions is almost as potent as the portrayal of how Sunne embraces self-worth.

An impressive legend with the feel of an older tale and a highly relevant theme.