The Market Bowl

Yoyo's mother says that no fair price for bitterleaf stew can be refused; to do so risks angering Brother Coin, the Great Spirit of the Market.

After rushing her preparations, the Cameroonian girl turns down a customer who offers ten-ten say-fah for her poor concoction (her mother says it's fit only for the goats), instead of the usual fifty-fifty paid for Mama Cécile's excellent stew. Their luck sours, and Yoyo decides that she must appease Brother Coin. When she does so, she witnesses a scary sight. The god, a caricature of a greedy man, refuses his blessing to a beseeching merchant and makes him disappear. Yoyo then uses her market bowl to make a perfect portion of bitterleaf stew. Brother Coin laps up the dish after making a…

Although the text lacks the heft of traditional folklore, the author/illustrator draws on his Peace Corps background to cook up a cautionary, but tasty look at life in Cameroon.

Bold, bright mixed-media illustrations bring extra punch to this original tale from Cameroon. Mama Cécile is a wonderful cook, especially when it comes to making bitterleaf stew. She sings to Yoyo as she teaches her how to make it. Yoyo grows tired of watching her mother and thinks she can make her own stew without following a recipe. When hers is found to be less than appetizing and Mama instructs her to feed it to the goats, the child hides it instead. After Mama's stew is finished, she heaps it into a bowl and asks for the ancestors' blessing on it. "You must always ask a fair price for…

In Africa’s Cameroon, Mama Cecile is teaching young Yoyo the ways of cooking and selling their delicious bitterleaf stew at market. Mama Cecile shows Yoyo all the necessary steps to make the stew taste just right. Impatient with all the grinding and chopping, Yoyo shortcuts the directions and makes a hurry-up version of the stew. When Mama Cecile tastes Yoyo’s stew, she tells her it is only good enough for the goats and not their market customers. Yoyo refuses to listen and slips her stew into the basket for market. Mama has also cautioned Yoyo that she should always accept a fair price for…