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The little girl who didn’t want to grow up
Retold by Véronique Tadjo Illustrations by Catherine Groenewald
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Catherine Groenewald For Nick and Louisa – I value and love you very much Véronique Tadjo For all the children who had to grow up too quickly
First published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2010 A rewriting of Gianni Rodari’s Tinarina 10 Orange Street Sunnyside Auckland Park South Africa (+27 11) 628 3200 www.jacana.co.za © Véronique Tadjo, 2010 © Images: Catherine Groenewald, 2010 Series editor: Carole Bloch All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-77009-819-0 Set in ITC Stone Informal Std 14/22pt Printed and bound by Ultra Litho (Pty) Limited, Johannesburg Job no. 001246 See a complete list of Jacana titles at www.jacana.co.za
Printed on Sappi Triple Green Print Matt 250g/m² and 170g/m² donated by Sappi. Triple Green paper is produced from sustainable resources (bagasse - post agricultural sugar cane waste and renewable forestry fibre) and is recyclable and biodegradable.
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yanda was a little girl who lived with her parents, her grandmother and her
younger brother. She was a happy child who was always smiling. She adored her father. One day, a terrible war broke out. Her father was forced to go and fight in the army. Ayanda’s family heard nothing from him – not a word.
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Then victory was declared. The soldiers came home proudly. There was great celebration. Ayanda waited anxiously for her father. She imagined all the wonderful things that they would do together. But he never came back.
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Ayanda’s heart was broken. Nobody could console her. It seemed that her pain would never go away. Her sadness turned to anger. ‘Why has my daddy been killed in the war? It is so unfair!’ She decided to stop growing up.
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People would ask, ‘Ayanda, why are you still so tiny?’ She would simply reply, ‘Because grown-ups are cruel. They go to war. I don’t want to be like them.’
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As the years went by, the girls in the village started to grow up. But Ayanda remained tiny. ‘If you stay so small, you will never get married!’ her friends mocked. ‘I don’t care!’ replied Ayanda.
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One evening, Ayanda’s mother became very ill. She was taken to the hospital in a small town far away from the village. The doctors decided to keep her there until she was well again.
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Ayanda’s grandmother had to do all the household chores. She was weak and had a bad back, which made everything difficult. Ayanda was sad to see her work so hard. ‘If only I were a little bit bigger, I could help Grandma take care of the house,’ thought Ayanda.
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So, she let herself grow just enough to feel stronger. Full of energy, she was soon able to do everything for her grandmother.
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After that, each time Ayanda needed to be bigger to do one thing or the other, she
w a little bit more.
would let herself gro
But, while Ayanda’s mother was still in hospital, her grandmother also fell sick. Now Ayanda had to do all the household chores, take care of her younger brother and look after her grandmother, all on her own.
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In the evenings she felt totally exhausted.
w a little bit more,’
‘I think I need to gro
she said to herself. ‘At least until Mother comes back.’ And that’s exactly what she did.
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When, at last, Ayanda’s mother came home, she was happy to see her house in order and Grandma recovering well. Ayanda had grown so much that her mother almost didn’t recognise her.
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Ayanda was now one of the most beautiful girls in the village. But when people saw her they said, ‘You should stop growing so tall, Ayanda. Otherwise, you will never find a husband your own size!’ ‘I don’t care!’ replied Ayanda.
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Since her mother’s return, Ayanda had more free time. But instead of playing with the girls of her own age, she preferred to help the neighbours or the old market lady who was always struggling to carry her heavy fruit baskets.
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