Children of Yayoute by Francois Turenne Des Pres - Folk Tales of Haiti - First Edition, Child Book, Kids Book - Folk Art, Haiti Artwork

First edition of Children of Yayoute: Folk Tales of Haiti by Francois Turenne Des Pres, a collection of 12 Haitian folk tales and paintings by the artist.

Text and artwork by Francois Turenne Des Pres. First edition, 1994. California Afro-American Museum Foundation, Los Angeles. Universe Publishing, New York.

"There was once a cat and a dog who were very good friends. They lived together in the same house as though they were relatives. The cat called the dog Uncle and the dog called the cat Nephew, so close were they to one another."

- Tonton Chien ac Neveu Chat

Francois Turenne des Pres (1909 - 1990) collected folk stories of his native Haiti through his grandmother San Naa and his nursemaid Ma Bonne, and published the first text-only edition of Children of Yayoute in 1949. Turenne des Pres eventually became an accomplished artist, and after his death in 1990, his family approached the California Afro-American Museum about republishing his work to include a selection of his paintings.

Publisher's Weekly wrote, "The art itself is pleasingly simple in its lines, busy with people and alive with color. A visual treasure, this book is also ideal for reading aloud."

From the dust jacket:

"The tales of Ma Bonne...are filled with historical anecdote, local Haitian custom, and voodoo mystery. Here we learn the reason why the dogs of Haiti hold an ongoing grudge against the cats, the miracle that made pumpkin soup the most important New Year's dish, and the identity of the sole ancestor of all the cockroaches in Haiti. San Naa's more traditional African stories feature the exploits of two creatures, Malice, and the clever trickster, and Bouqui, who was on the losing end of most adventures."

CONTENTS

Tonton Chien ac Neveu Chat
The Dancing poupees
Noemi and the Fish
Bien-Aime and the Magic Orange Tree
L'Anneau d"or
Jean et Melise La Chanteuse
Djapie and the Magic Dwarf
The Cockroach and the Hen
How Malice Went to Learn a Trade
The King's Cherished Lamb
How Malice Sent the Donkey to marry the King
HowBouqui was Thrown Over the Cliff.

Condition*: Near Fine/Very Good. The dust jacket has a small closed tear, lower left corner, that's been taped, else no other flaws. There's a shadow of label on the front endpaper else no other flaws.

* Based on guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.

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