Dan Auta

September 15, 2022
Grades 1-3 In this hilarious and subversive translation of a Hausa folktale, a mischievous child sows chaos but, rather than suffer for his transgressions, comes out on top in the end. Charged by her dying parents to never let her little brother, Dan Auta, cry, Sarra comes back from an errand to see that in a fit of boredom he's burned all their food. Rather than punish him, she takes him to a city where he manages to poke out the eye of the king's son, pee on the king, and enrage and then slay a monster called the Dodo. Grobler dresses his small, brown-skinned, comically animated figures in at least an approximation of traditional West African styles and scatters them over the pages among narrative passages, snatches of dialogue, and explanatory labels, mostly for Hausa terms. Wide-eyed readers may have trouble deciding whether to cheer or boo the cheeky troublemaker, but they will definitely feel for his long-suffering sister. A source note at the end retraces the course of this particular version through multiple translations.

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October 15, 2022
A sister has her hands full taking care of her mischievous brother. This retelling of a traditional Hausa fable published in 1912 by German anthropologist Leo Frobenius, translated into Spanish by Ortega y Gasset in 1925, and now translated into English by Amado, begins with a mother and father who create a life in the forest. They have a little girl named Sarra. When Sarra gets bigger, her parents have her younger brother, Dan Auta. Soon afterward, both parents become ill and perish, but before they die, they make Sarra promise never to let Dan Auta cry and to stay with him always. Despite such a heavy burden, Sarra believes the pair will be OK because of the vast food stores her parents left them--but while she is out collecting firewood, Dan Auta wreaks havoc by destroying all of their food. Forced to venture into the forest beyond their land, Sarra and Dan Auta journey to a nearby city. Not long after, Dan Auta's curious nature lands them both in trouble, forcing the siblings to run. They hitch a ride on a giant hawk, but Dan Auta gets them thrown off; eventually, they ride a whirlwind to a new kingdom, where Dan Auta's mischievous behavior may pay off. Simple, childlike illustrations bring this old tale to life as Dan Auta's antics are depicted upon each spread. The omniscient narration guides readers through this multifaceted story of freedom and responsibility before reaching its dramatic conclusion. Set in Africa, likely in what is now Niger or Nigeria, the story features an entirely Black cast. A thought-provoking tale. (afterword) (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

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December 1, 2022

Gr 2-4-According to the book's afterword, Dan Auta is a Hausa tale from Nigeria, recorded by a German anthropologist in 1912, translated to Spanish in 1925, and now in English here. Maybe something was lost in translation. Boisterous Dan Auta is raised by his responsible sister, Sarra, after their parents die. Dan burns all their food, urinates on a king, sticks his finger in an eagle's cloaca, and more. However, his actions eventually lead to good; he kills a monster tormenting the city. The mixed-media illustrations are delightful. Characters are small but packed with personality. The layout incorporates traditional graphic novel elements, with action occurring in different vignettes across the page, some paneled and some not. An afterword praises Dan Auta for having the freedom to explore; however, the writers do not acknowledge Sarra is given no such opportunity, instead being burdened with fixing Dan's mistakes. VERDICT Despite misogynistic undertones, this story could broaden a collection of folklore that is primarily Eurocentric.-Chance Lee Joyner

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