IT TAKES A VILLAGE

By a former Peace Corps worker in Benin, a simple story that demonstrates one of that West African country's proverbs. Yemi is pleased to be trusted to watch her little brother Kokou while Mama sells their mangoes in the weekly market—``all by myself!'' she says proudly. But Mama is secure in the knowledge that Yemi will have help if she needs it. Sure enough, Kokou wanders off, but the other vendors look out for him: while Yemi searches anxiously, sure that Kokou is hungry, thirsty, or tired, the little boy is getting a snack, a drink, and a place to nap in various stalls. Yemi finds him, thanks everyone, and returns to Mama, who's unconcerned; she knows ``It takes a village to raise a child''—an assumption of shared responsibility that we all might take to heart. The author's deep-felt, attractively designed illustrations include many details of the marketplace and underline its warm, neighborly atmosphere. A nicely shaped and unusually likeable story. Note on the market. (Picture book. 4-8)