A little boy goes with his mother to market to get ingredients for pancakes. On the way he invites everyone he sees to come eat the pancakes later. His mother is annoyed with him, worried there won't be enough. When everyone comes for dinner, they bring fish and plantains, extra flour and spices and all kinds of treats to share.
This is a sweet book with a great lesson. The mother worries about sharing but the boy is open and welcoming. In the end it pays off, they finish with more than what they would have had on their own. It uses repetitive language: after the first time the boy invites someone we know what he is doing when he runs ahead of his mother. Kids listening it would follow along easily and would be excited to know the ending. ( )

A little boy and his mom decide to make pancakes for dinner in their rural African village. While walking to the market, the little boy invites their friends to come to dinner, causing his mom to become very concerned that there will not be enough food for all of the guests, as she has only 2 coins to spend on the flour. At the market, the boy invites even more people. Once they are back home, they begin to make the pancakes and as they do, their friends arrive with more food to contribute to the shared meal. There is plenty for everyone and they enjoy each other's company, including singing and music.

Ages 4-8
Pierce County Library

Fun mother and son story that Jackson and I really related to. Inviting others to share what little you have becomes a blessing as others share their little gifts as well. Beautiful lesson for school-aged kids. And we had a lot of fun discovering and learning to pronounce Swahili words! ( )

This story not only has beautiful illustrations and lively, fluent text, but it captures the very essence of Kenyan village life, that food is to be shared and connections are more important than possessions. ( )

On market day, Mama Penya's son invites everyone he sees to a pancake dinner. The importance of sharing, even if you very little is modeled in this Kenyan village.