API AND THE BOY STRANGER
A Village Creation Tale
adapted by Patricia Roddy & illustrated by Lynne Russell
A legend that originated in the village of Becedi Brignan in the Ivory Coast (where Roddy once lived), telling why, when children are exhorted to share food, they're told to ``Remember the ancestors!'' As the village is preparing a feast for a baby's naming, a thin boy appears with an empty bowl; but only Api's family is willing to fill it. He appears again at a wedding and at a ``celebration of someone's spirit arriving in heaven.'' The third time, the boy urges Api's family to take their belongings and leave. Looking back, they see the mountain erupt in lava, burying the village. Roddy's spare narration has a pleasing folkloric tone enlivened by repetition; in Russell's full-bleed illustrations, rendered in the saturated colors of oil pastels, the sculpturally rounded figures and economically detailed setting have an appropriately timeless quality. Excellent note. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)