Fatuma's New Cloth

Young Fatuma and her mother visit a contemporary African market to buy fabrics and teas and learn about life.

ISBN: 978-1511897884 PUBLISHED: 2002 FORMAT: Picture book

Pulishers Weekly

In Bulion’s tender tale set in East Africa, the traditions of chai (tea) and kanga cloth contribute to a mother’s gentle lesson to her daughter. Mama and Fatuma walk to market where the girl will choose kanga cloth for a dress. Tadgell’s (Just Call Me Joe Joe) luminescent watercolors depict the flowing grass and vermilion flowers that line the path to town; Mama’s blue and golden kanga drapes gently over her head and shoulders. “Will you sew my new kanga when we get home from the market?” the child asks. When Mama promises to make chai as well, a trio of friendly vendors each offer a special ingredient for the brew, but none makes the chai “taste sweet like [Mama’s].” Fanciful patterned borders on each spread hint at what’s to come when Mama and Fatuma finally meet with the cloth vendor. Beautiful colors and fabrics fill the spreads as Fatuma searches for “a kanga the color of the deep sea and the early morning sky.” When she finds it, Mama reads her the words embedded in the design—”Don’t be fooled by the color. The good flavor of chai comes from the sugar”—and explains that what makes a person special is not always evident to the eye. An author’s note describes East African customs and provides a recipe for chai. Tadgell’s artwork highlights the glorious colors of the area’s fabrics and landscapes, and demonstrates the warmth of a closely knit community in which tradition is paramount.

Christian Science Monitor

Fatuma’s New Cloth, by Leslie Bulion, takes readers to a colorful East African marketplace. There, little Fatuma and her mother shop for a new kanga cloth. With loose watercolors, illustrator Nicole Tadgell captures the friendly market vendors and their wares. Pages are bordered by various kanga designs. In addition to being bright and beautiful, each piece of fabric sports a printed message. The author makes this Swahili saying part of her narrative: “Don’t be fooled by the color. The good flavor of tea is the sugar.” This proverb leads little Tuma and her mother into an affectionate conversation about how the good qualities of a person are invisible, just as the sugar that sweetens tea can’t be seen. Making and drinking tea figures prominently in the book; in fact, a recipe for chai is included. But this is clearly a device for sending a positive message and for giving readers a vivid picture of contemporary East African culture.

Midwest Book Review

Fatuma’s New Cloth is an energetic and highly recommended children’s picturebook about Fatuma, a young East African girl who learns about the complexities of the marketplace. There is even a recipe for East African chai (tea) included in this highly enjoyable tale by Leslie Bulion, whose engaging text is superbly complemented by the soft, watercolor-style illustrations by Nicole Tadgell.