Mee-An and the Magic Serpent

What Diakite's (The Hunterman and the Crocodile) somewhat sluggish narrative lacks in grace the artist makes up for in his fluid line and elegant shadings, rendered on his signature ceramic tiles. The story, inspired by a folktale from his homeland, centers on a beautiful, vain young woman who is holding out for the perfect husband. Mee-An insists that she deserves someone as physically flawless as she, despite her mother's warning that ""Seeing a person is not the same as knowing him."" One day Mee-An's younger sister, Assa, turns herself into a fly to search for a suitor for her sibling. The disguised Assa spies a newcomer to the village-a magic serpent who has transformed himself into a handsome young man in order to vie for Mee-An's hand. When this fellow comes calling, walls crack, cooking pots break and winds howl, but Mee-An marries him anyway. She and Assa then accompany him to a new home on the bank of a distant river, where he daily reverts to his serpent shape to catch fish for their dinner. The gals enjoy their new life until they discover the fishing snake singing about his plan to fatten them up so they become a ""delicious meal."" Mee-An realizes the wisdom of her mother's admonition and, meeting the man who would become her next husband, loves him despite his blemishes. Depicting animals, vegetation and clothing native to Mali, Diakite's earth-toned illustrations capture the fable's bucolic setting and timeless message. Ages 4-7.