The Gambia Blog

We have a guest post today from David Rose of Red Robin Books, publishers of the Dundee Picture Book Award nominated Fatou, fetch the water, by Neil Griffiths.

Fatou, fetch the water by Neil Griffiths

A children’s picture book inspired by a village in The Gambia, was recently nominated for the 2011 Dundee Picture Book Award. Fatou, fetch the water, written by Neil Griffiths, illustrated by Peggy Collins and published by Red Robin Books was one of four books shortlisted for the award run by the Education and the Leisure and Communities Departments in Dundee and voted for by local school children.

Fatou, fetch the water by Neil Griffiths

Fatou, fetch the water is set in The Gambia and tells the story of forgetful Fatou, who is asked by her mother to fetch a fresh supply of water from the village well. But will Fatou return from her journey through the village with just water, or with much more than she expected? This charming tale tells of the joys of giving and receiving. It also contains a section of facts about the cultures and traditions of this colourful nation, so children can learn as well as enjoy. There are also free downloadable resources, based around the story available at www.redrobinbooks.com, where you can buy copies online at £6.99. For every copy sold, a donation goes to the Project Gambia charity, helping to improve schools in The Gambia, (www.cornertolearn.co.uk/project-gambia), so you won’t just be getting a great story, you’ll also be helping a great cause.

Author Neil Griffiths in The Gambia

Red Robin Books author Neil Griffiths recently travelled to The Gambia to re-visit the village that inspired his picture book. While there, he was able to see the difference that his charity, Project Gambia is making to the community. Its aim is to support and oversee the education and welfare of pre-school children in Gunjur.

At school in The Gambia

After a visit there in 2005, Neil witnessed first-hand the difficult conditions that school children endured. However, he couldn’t help but feel touched by the enthusiasm, optimism and warmth of the children and staff. So Neil set to work establishing Project Gambia which is now in its sixth year. Supporting the TARUD Pre-School in Gunjur, the project has exceeded expectations and has achieved many of its goals, including school and playground expansion, vegetable and flower gardens and a water tower. The charity has also provided opportunities for training and curriculum development to support and resource other schools in the area. Now Project Gambia is looking ahead, setting new goals to achieve, but still in need of support.

For more information on Project Gambia visit www.cornertolearn.co.uk/project-gambia.

Field Guide to Wildlife of The Gambia

First of all, thanks to David Penney for sending us a copy of his new book Field Guide to Wildlife of The Gambia. We’re obviously huge advocates of the wildlife in The Gambia – to us, along with the weather and the people, it’s one of the main reasons for going. The Gambia does genuinely teem with life and there is a good deal more than just the (admittedly spectacular) bird life. Aside from the excellent bird guides, such as Clive Barlow and Tim Wacher’s Birds of the Gambia, up until now, however, there has been very little official written about the flora and fauna of The Gambia – step forward Dr David Penney, renowned zoologist and visiting research fellow at the University of Manchester.

The book is thorough without being exhaustive – and in reality a definitive guide to the areas flora and fauna would be such a monumental project as to escape the bounds of a handy sized book such as this. What the book does though is ably introduce the reader to the various species of flowers and animals you might see on a stay in The Gambia. And what the book does very well is to appeal to all kinds of reader – from the prospective tourist with a passing interest in the country to those who might be interested in a more rigorous examination of what they might see picking through the lush tropical landscape of The Gambia.

A Plumeria, Kotu The Gambia. Photo by {link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattisj/}mattisj{/link}

So what do you get from the book in practical terms? Well, there is an introduction which covers why The Gambia is a such a biodiverse region – including a detailed look at the various eco-zones and habitats you’ll find within the country. The body of the book is a series of plates, showing a cross section of the various species you might see whilst in the country. This ranges from flowering plants to fungi via reptiles and amphibians to some of the country’s astonishing butterflies to mantids, earwigs, spinners and beyond! Some of the pictures may not be for the faint-hearted but the book is never less than engaging and ultimately a vary intriguing offering. The book concludes with short sections on biodiversity and conservation issues and additional resources for those wanting to seek further information.

A monarch butterfly, The Gambia. Photo by {link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattisj/}mattisj{/link}

Overall, I think David Penney’s book is an invaluable new resource for anyone interested in The Gambia. And like all great guides and wildlife handbooks, it makes you want to return to the source – to hunt out all that fierce burning life and see it for yourself once more.

You can buy Dr Penney’s book direct from the publishers: Siri Scientific Press