IMANI'S MOON

MaameYaa Boafo’s rich, warm voice entices youngsters to listen in on the attempts of diminutive Imani to touch the moon. Inspired by a bedtime story about Olapa, the Maasai goddess of the moon, and by her mother’s advice, Imani is determined to “do something great.” Boafo sets a leisurely pace and has a self-assured storyteller’s lilt and cadence. She stretches out words as Imani attempts to climb a tree to the moon, mimics the teasing of village children, richly coos as Imani’s mother, voices the chimpanzee’s staccato amazement, and bursts aloud joyfully with Imani’s success. Sound effects of Imani’s village provide scene-enhancing background. The author concludes the production with her thoughts on the inspiration for the story. A.R. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2015]