Little folks of many lands
SOM is a little black boy. He lives in a hot country. His home is forest.
near a great
He has no books . He never heard of a school. But he can hunt and fish.
He does not work so hard as his sister .
Minko helps her mother in the house and garden .
She sweeps the floor with a bunch of twigs . She carries wood and water.
Osom's mother hoes the 53 corn in in the
garden . She carries heavy loads in a basket on her back . When Minko is older she will carry one.
The mothers are very fond of the little girls. But the fathers like the boys better.
The men in Osom's country and arrows.
often go to war. They look very fierce when they are ready for battle. They hold shields in front of them and carry long spears and sharp knives . The boys have bows
They learn to shoot with them when they are small .
These people are fond of music and dancing. They dance by stamping their feet on the ground . They move their bodies to and fro and swing their arms in time to the music.
They have drums , whistles , and rattles . Some dance while others sit on the ground and beat the drums .
The baby has a strange cradle. It is only a strip of cloth over his mother's shoulder.
He sits on her hip while she carries the heavy loads of wood .
Sometimes she puts him in the basket on her back. Then Then only the top of his little woolly head can be seen .
Osom lives in a hut made of grass and bark. The roof is made of palm leaves .