The Butter Man by Elizabeth Alalou, Ali Alalou, Julie Klear Essakalli (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

While Nora waits for the couscous her father is cooking to be finished, he tells her a story about his youth in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 6 to 9.

On Saturday nights, as our narrator waits for her mother to return from work, her baba cooks couscous in the pot he brought from Morocco. One day Baba tells her the story about the butter man, from when Baba was a little boy in Morocco: One year the wheat harvest is small, so his bread and couscous are small as well. His mother cannot make butter because they had to sell the cow. His father must leave to find work. Hungry and wanting butter for his little piece of bread, he waits for the butter man to ask for some, but the butter man does not come. Every day his piece of bread is tinier. Fortunately, when he has none at all, his father finally returns with good food galore. After that, the rains and good harvest return. As the story ends, her mother comes home and the couscous is ready for them to enjoy. The lengthy story offers a picture of another world. The full and double pages are like stage sets for the text, with details of daily life both now and back in Morocco, like the pot on the range, or the bird's-eye view of the village, the house, and the paths around it. The opaque gouache paint is flat, decorative rather than detailed. The symbolism of the butter man provokes questions. There are two pages of detailed information about the location of Baba's story in the High Atlas Mountains and the Berbers who live there, along with a glossary. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4- Weaving between the present and past, this picture book introduces readers to Berber culture in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. While young Nora impatiently waits for couscous to cook, her father tells her about a famine during his childhood. Food was so scarce that his father left home to find work. Baba's resourceful mother helped him stay busy so he did not dwell on hunger. Eventually, his father returned home with food and, ultimately, the rains came. An author's note provides additional cultural information, and a glossary defines Berber words. Essakalli's decorative, folk-art illustrations done in gouache, predominantly in shades of brown and beige, provide the feel of parched land and vast mountains. Neither the story nor the art has instant child appeal. This wordy but heartfelt tale about patience and hope may take some selling, but libraries that want to build their multicultural collections should consider it.-Barbara Katz, Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, TX

Kirkus Reviews

On Saturday evening, Nora's mother is at work, and Nora waits for her father to cook couscous. To pass the time, he talks about his childhood in Morocco. During a time without rain, his father sold the cow and left for the mountains to work. Soon, there was no butter left and only bread to eat. Young Ali's mother sent him to wait for the butter man, but Ali ate the bread before his arrival. Day after day this happened, until finally, Ali's father returned with food. And the butter man? Perhaps he never came, but the rain did, and eventually, the family was able to buy another cow. With perfect timing, Nora's mother arrives home from work, and the family enjoys a flavorful feast in a satisfying conclusion of this realistic Jack in the Beanstalk tale. Essakalli's memorable gouache illustrations provide a sense of place, and while the Berber words in the text are not always immediately defined, a glossary is located in the back. Also includes an informative author's note on the Berber, or Imazighen, people of Morocco. (Picture book. 5-9)

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