Donso, a West African hunterman, learns the importance of living in harmony with nature and the necessity of placing humans among, not above, all other living things.
- ISBN: 9780590898294
- Author: Diakite, Baba Wague
- Published: 2005 , Scholastic Inc.
- Themes: harmony, Nature
- Descriptors: Africa, Early Years (ages 2-6), Folklore and Fairy Tales, Mali, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9)
- No. of pages: 32
In the author’s note to The Hunterman and the Crocodile, Baba Wagué Diakité writes, “The greatest influences in my life have come from traditional stories told by my mother and my grandparents. As children we loved to listen to their stories. They were our main source of entertainment… [however]… Our stories are much more than entertainment. They give us encouragement and good morals. They educate us about our environment and the relationship between man and nature.”
The Hunterman and the Crocodile exemplifies these concepts as Diakité relates the tale of a hunter who, against his better judgment, agrees to carry a family of crocodiles into the river. Once he releases them into the water he finds himself at their mercy. He argues that they should keep their promise to let him go on his way after he carried them into the river. Realizing his predicament he pleads with a cow, a horse, a chicken and an old mango tree to help him. After airing their grievances with Man, they all refuse and say that he deserves to be eaten by the crocodiles. Finally, a clever rabbit approaches and feigns disbelief that a man could carry a load of crocodiles on his head which prompts the crocodiles to demonstrate how it was done. Once the crocodiles are back on the hunter’s head, the rabbit suggest that he take them home to his wife “to make a great meal.”
However, the story doesn’t end there because the hunter has another lesson in store for him. On his way home, he learns that his wife is gravely ill and that she needs the tears of a crocodile to recover. He then gives the crocodiles their freedom in exchange for a gourd of their tears.
It is interesting to note that the illustrations and tone of this picture book differ from the previous stories in this month’s series. This book has a more serious appearance and voice that emphasize the lessons that the hunter learned:
“From that time forward he has reminded people of the importance of living in harmony with nature and the necessity of placing Man among – not above – all living things.”