The Hatseller and the Monkeys by Baba Wagué Diakité

The Hatseller and the Monkeys Reviews

• 
  Dianna

  This book is very similar to Caps for Sale, but it is told African style. Although I think the Caps for Sale version is better written, I enjoyed this version too, and the pictures are really interesting (my son kept reaching out to touch them). I liked the author's note at the end explaining the origins of the folktale.
• 
  Dawn Michelle

  Read Around the World: Mali
• 
  RLL220 Kendra

  This book was ok the message overall was a little vague and boring. However I did love the illustrations if the book. One favorite part I did enjoy was the money's in the mango tree imitating BaMusa.
• 
  ♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases

  I like the story, very much like caps for sale, but the illustrations aren't all that great.
• 
  Matthew

  A lesser used piece of folklore in children's literature, this is based on the same story that the famous Caps for Sale book was based, though there are significant differences. For one thing, the setting makes more sense in this retelling. I always wondered why wild monkeys would be living in a tree in the setting of Caps for Sale. For another, the hatseller in this discovers the solution to the problem through clever observation rather than accidentally while losing patience with the monkeys. The endnote describes the origin of the folktale well. Overall, this is a better book than Caps for Sale in my opinion, though they both have their charms and would be great for a folklore lesson wherein comparison was made between the two.
• 
  Elizabeth

  This is an African version of the story many of us know as
  Caps for Sale -- with more of a moral than I recall from "Caps for Sale."
  
  The illustrations are well-done.
• 
  Kest Schwartzman

  There is an unmistakable, yet hard to express difference between a story being told by someone who grew up with it, vs. a story being told by someone who discovered it. This is told with the comfortable familiarity of the former, and it shines for that.
• 
  Steph

  Moral: You do your best thinking when you have food in your belly.
  
  Meh.
• 
  Michele

  African tale similar to Caps For Sale
• 
  Marilyn

  This traditional West African tale is beautifully told and illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite. It's the African version and possibly the origin of the classic children's story Caps for Sale.
• 
  Hannah Knight

  There is much culture involved in these hats. Hats come in different sizes and have different designs. Bamusa traveled and made hats, but had a conflict with the monkeys. People have to know how to deal with conflict when it arises.
• 
  Alice

  Summary: Bamusa the hatseller is on his way to the market to sell his hats. Too excited to eat breakfast, he loses energy on the way and falls asleep under a mango tree. He wakes up to find all of his hats in the hands of monkeys in the tree. How will he get them back?
  
  I enjoy the sing-song refrain that children can learn and join in on--a pronunciation guide is included and the colorful, cultural art work is a rich experience. Diakite's monkey motif is brilliant and the African culture radiates joyfully!
  
  This is a West African version of the folktale about a cap seller who has his caps stolen by monkeys. The West African setting is stunningly communicated through Diakité’s use of language, culture, and art. At the end of the book there is an author’s note that gives us background information on his ceramic tile paintings and pronunciation guides for the African words that Bamusa the hat seller uses in a sing-song voice to sell his hats. This chant, along with the fun words Bamusa and the monkeys use back and forth, make the story a great read aloud selection.
  
• 
  Kathleen

  I thought this book was captivating. It's the winner of multiple book awards including the Coretta Scott King Honor. The author and illustrator, Baba Wague Diakite, is from Mali West Africa, and this story is one he cherishes from his childhood. If you've read "Caps for Sale" you're familiar with the story of a hat seller whose goods are stolen by monkeys when he rests under a tree. This is a similar story set in Mali.
  The illustrations are beautiful, I think they really advance the story. Throughout the book, the author's native language is used. In my opinion that's such a crucial part of the cultural aspect of the story that I fear I'd diminish its appeal by making a failed effort at speaking the language. I'd love to hear an audio version with the author reading the book.
  Prior to reading this aloud to my students, I'd want to establish background knowledge by doing a mini lesson about Mali so the kids could really enjoy the book all the more!
• 
  Heather B.

  BaMusa, an African hatseller was on his way to a festival to sell his hats, but halfway there he got tired and took a nap under a tree. However, the tree was full of curious monkeys and the monkeys climbed down the tree and took all of BaMusa’s hats. After some frustration in dealing with the monkeys, he finally got all of his hats back. I really enjoyed this title in that it funny and little hearted. I would recommmend this book to early elementary readers, kindergarten through 2nd grade. Published 1999.
• 
  Evan

  This humorous folktale from Mali (with versions and variations including Esphyr Slobodkina's 'Caps for Sale' (Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1940) delights with its unique illustrations (painted on ceramic tiles by the author Baba Wagué Diakité) and simple story. The protagonist, a hatseller, takes a rest under a mango tree but upon awaking, finds all his wares have been taken by the monkeys in the tree who imitate his every move. Only by outsmarting the monkeys is he able to get his hats back, and the tale reminds us that only on a full stomach do we think clearly.
• 
  Michael Fitzgerald

  The world does not need this book. Apart from the fact that
  Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business - which tells the same story better - has existed for 60+ years, this version is overly wordy and unfocused. The illustrations are nice, but just skip it.
• 
  Ms Threlkeld

  I would've enjoyed this story a lot more if I hadn't been comparing it as I read to "Caps For Sale", a book I adored as a child. This puts an African spin on the folktale about a man who falls asleep under a tree full of monkeys and pays the consequence. A good book for intermediate classes learning about folk tales and/or African culture.
• 
  Miriam Garcia

  Thsi book is an African tell that parallels the story of Caps for sell. You could use this book to compare and contrast between the two books. It has a lot of colorful illustrations and is a fun read!
• 
  Robin

  Caps for Sale . . . but from Mali. Includes words in another language that Ba'musa sings as he walks along, which children can repeat. They can also act out the part of the monkeys and make their sounds, which they enjoy. Fun to share.
• 
  Lisa Ford

  I love this version of this folktale. You can compare with the well known Caps for Sale, but if you're only going to read 1 version--this one is delightful.