Marwe lives in a village where food is scarce. She tries to be obedient, but it’s hard to spend every day working in the field. When her carelessness ruins the village’s crops, she’s too scared to face her angry family and runs away to the strange Land of the Dead. Marawe knows she doesn’t belong there. But can she find the right sort of courage to return to the land of the living.
- ISBN: 9780822571346
- Author: Croall, Marie P.
- Published: 2008, Graphic Universe
- Themes: Courage, Death, Family, journeys
- Descriptors: Africa, Folklore and Fairy Tales, Graphic Novel, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Tanzania
- No. of pages: 48
Marie P. Croall does a wonderful job retelling this East African Legend, Marwe Into the Land of the Dead. I read this story to my third graders and from the beginning they were interested because of the illustrations and the text. This is a Graphic Novel written very well for young children. Marwe and her brother leave the crops unattended and the monkeys eat them. Marwe is so scared to face her father she finds herself exploring a whole new world. Croall explains how important family is to Marwe and that is what eventually gets her back to the land of the living. Marwe Into the Land of the Dead is a beautiful story about family, love, and responsibilities.