Subira Subira

Tatu's little brother, Maulidi, has become difficult. He throws rocks, he cries, he bites, he refuses to do his chores. Tatu wants her brother to be happy again, but no matter what she tries, Maulidi doesn't change.

Then an old spirit woman tells Tatu that to cure Maulidi she must pluck three whiskers from a lion. Tatu is terrified! But she wants to help her brother, and so, armed with only a song, she sets out into the moonlit night to undertake her impossible task.

In this delightful retelling of a traditional folk tale, Tololwa M. Mollel deftly introduces an element of magic into a contemporary Tanzanian setting to reveal the taming powers of patience, love, and song.

When Tatu finds she can do nothing to improve her little brother's hateful behavior and make him happy again, she goes to an old spirit woman for help. The spirit woman tells Tatu that to cure Maulidi, she must pluck three whiskers from a lion Armed only with a song, Tatu steals out into the moonlit night to undertake her impossible task. Acclaimed storyteller Tololwa M. Mollel sets his satisfying retelling of a traditional folktale in contemporary Tanzania, beautifully depicted in Linda Saport's lush illustrations. An author's note and the music for Tatu's song follow the story.