The Gabi That Girma Wore

by Fasika Adefris, Sara Holly Ackerman, Netsanet Tesfay (Illustrator)

Overview

From seed to harvest, from loom to shop, to a gift for Girma, this lyrical story of the Ethiopian Gabi is a beautiful celebration of weaving, community and culture.

Written in the cadence of The House That Jack Built, this vibrant and lushly illustrated tale pays tribute to the Gabi— a traditional Ethiopian cloth that is used to celebrate both community and culture. From the tiny seed to the fluffy white cotton, from the steady hands of the farmer to the swift fingers of the weaver, from the busy shopkeeper, to a gift for a loved one, follow the journey of the Gabi that Girma wore in this lively and rhythmic tale that’s perfect to read aloud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316470773
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,028,818
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 11.45(h) x 0.32(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Fasika Adefris is an Amharic/Ethiopian Studies teacher at the International Community School of Addis Ababa. She has taught a weaving class with co-author Sara Holly Ackerman for several years at the school.

Sara Holly Ackerman is an early education school teacher who lives with her daughter in Brooklyn, New York.

Netsanet (Net) Tesfay is an illustrator and a graphic designer who lives with her husband and two young children in Northern California. She is a native of Ethiopia and her colorful art is influenced by her heritage and rich Ethiopian culture. You can learn more about Net by visiting her website: https://www.kokebstudio.com.
 

Editorial Reviews

* "A winsome piece of industry, charmingly told, and perfect for reading aloud. Tesfay’s illustrations simply vibrate with color, movement, and details for children to pore over. VERDICT A glorious, too-brief glimpse of Ethiopia for elementary-age children, this will send them off to do further research on textiles and cultures."

—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

PreS-Gr 3—With the cumulative rhyme scheme that echoes "Here Is the House that Jack Built," this story opens on a cottonseed about to be placed into the soil in close-up: "This is the cottonseed, oval and slight, hugged by the soil and warmed with light— to sprout the Gabi that Girma wore." The hand that plants it is articulated, brown, and very careful; ladybugs on nearby plants seem to look on approvingly. As the story continues, the cotton plant grows under sun and rain, creating a snowy effect on hills as the cotton bolls split open; that's when readers meet the farmer, who will harvest the cotton, take it to be cleaned and turned into threads that will be woven into the Ethiopian cloth known as a Gabi. The cloth is decorated, goes to market, and is purchased by the good woman Genet, who delivers it to Girma, an elegant man who attends ceremonies in it but also shares it with children who use it as a tent. The story does not stick to the strict "Here is the House…" scheme but ebbs and flows with small details about weaving, or the trip to market; in this way children learn in-depth what a Gabi means from start to finish. A winsome piece of industry, charmingly told, and perfect for reading aloud. Tesfay's illustrations simply vibrate with color, movement, and details for children to pore over. VERDICT A glorious, too-brief glimpse of Ethiopia for elementary-age children, this will send them off to do further research on textiles and cultures.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

School Library Journal

2023-12-06
The journey of an Ethiopian garment, from the literal seeds of its inception all the way to the people who wear it proudly.

The Gabi, defined in the glossary as “a multilayered traditional Ethiopian cloth,” starts out as cottonseed sown into the rich brown earth. Rich digital illustrations show the cotton sprouting and growing, a farmer plucking fluffy white fibers from the plant, and shemanes (the Amharic word for weavers) working the heddles and wooden treadles of the looms to produce workable textiles. Cumulative verse, similar to “The House That Jack Built,” shows what a slow—but meaningful—process it is (“This is the cottonseed, oval and slight…to sprout the Gabi that Girma wore”). As the Gabi takes shape, with an amber and burgundy border woven into the white fabric, rhyming narration thoughtfully emphasizes the “brightness and light” that decorate the garment. At the marketplace, the Gabi sits alongside other wares before being bought by a woman named Genet, who gives it to a man named Girma. The authors place this purchase into cultural context, making it clear how important it is to Girma; he wears his Gabi on festive occasions and at church on Christmas and Easter, and he and a whole family of smiling and loving faces snuggle up under it on the couch.

An illuminating tale of the love and care that go into creating this East African garment. (authors’ note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews