Sense Pass King

by Katrin Hyman Tchana, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)

Deep in the forest, in the land of seven villages, there lived an extraordinary child. Her brilliance was so dazzling and her gifts so exceptional that the villagers called her Sense Pass King, because she had more sense than even the king. When news of the girl reached the jealous king, he became enraged, and so began a fierce battle between might and wits that would determine the girl's fate and the kingdom's future.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Folklore, Childrens, Fiction, Cameroon, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma'antah - a prodigiously clever young girl who arouses the jealousy of the king of the land of the seven villages, when she is given the nickname "Sense Pass King" - survives numerous attempts on her life in this revisionist retelling of a traditional Cameroonian tale, eventually becoming an unofficial royal adviser. When a powerful emperor announces that his daughter will be given in marriage to the suitor he deems most worthy, it is Ma'antah's quick thinking and bravery which win her hand for the king. And when the king attempts to take the credit for Ma'antah's actions, his people - disgusted by his cowardice and dishonesty - drive him out and make Sense Pass King queen in his place...

I enjoyed this story of a young girl who continually outwits the adults around her, and is eventually given her just reward, and appreciated the fact that Ma'antah becomes a ruler through her own deeds, rather than through marriage. Trina Schart Hyman's artwork is as gorgeous as ever, and immensely appealing. I might have given this four stars, were it not for my reservations about Katrin Tchana's decision to change the hero of this story - told to her by her Cameroonian husband - from a boy to a girl. While completely in sympathy with the idea that we need tales with strong female characters, my instinctive feeling is that established folktales don't need to be "feminized," when there is already a wealth of world folklore featuring heroic girls, or new tales that can be written. Still, despite my folklorist's unease, I did enjoy Sense Pass King, and think young readers will as well.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sense Pass King: A story from Cameroon by Katrin Hyman Tchana, Illustrator Trina Schart Hyman- The book narrates the story from Cameroon, Africa. In a land of seven villages, deep in the forest, a girl was born. She was named Mantah. She was an extraordinarily brilliant child. She learnt the language of birds and animals. She helped the villagers in developing better agriculture methods and cutting crops with speed and preparing the agricultural land ready for next crop. Thus residents of her village grew their wealth. The villagers called her “Sense Pass King” because she had more sense than even the king. When news of the girl reached the jealous king, he became jealous. First, he tried to leave her in the forest but she recognized the way through a line of ashes falling from a hole in her bag. King dug a broad pit and threw her in it. She came out with the help of a group of squibs who dug a way out. King invited her to work as his advisor. With her improvement in agriculture policy, the kingdom became affluent. Another king proposed marriage with his young daughter. King went with his chicest army officers and with Mantah as cook. Both kings met and saw that the daughter of the king was small. King tested them by questioning how they would feed this girl. Mantah cooked food and collected mango and other fruits. She rang a bell hanging from her skirt. The young girl was charmed and ate the mango fruit and the food cooked by Mantah. They started their return journey by boat. A dragon attacked and asked for the King’s child. Mantah told the Dragon that another dragon like him is also attacking him. Dragon turned around. Mantah killed the Dragon with one arrow fired through her bow. When they returned, the people came to know that Mantah was the real king. They dethroned the king and crowned Mantah in his place. Illustration showing Mantah riding out of the forest on the jaguar with the snake on her shoulders is charming. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Veronica Hammerling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember checking this book out of my library over and over as a child. The beautiful illustrations and captivating story haven’t left my mind since.

[Malaika Hopson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, “Sense Pass King,” is a West African folktale that is about an unusual child born that displays remarkable traits at a young age. Traits such as walking and talking at a young age amaze the entire village. This unusual child name is Ma'antah. The child was nick named the "Sense Pass King," because the villagers claimed she had more sense than their king. The king of the village becomes aware of this young girl. However, he does not like Ma'antah due the cleverness she displays. The king then sends his men to try and capture Ma'antah, but she escapes each one of his traps. The entire book is beautifully illustrated with colorful, detailed depictions of life in Cameroon, Africa. All of the illustrations most certainly hold the children’s interests while the text is read. The storyline is age-appropriate and children can understand what is represented. The characters in the book use speech that accurately represents the Cameroon culture and oral traditions. This book correlates to my chosen cultural topic of African American cultures being that the storyline deals with the Cameroon culture that is African.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all 4 children's books my daughter gave me, with her wonderful inscriptions, but perhaps this is my favorite. This is a saucy and clever heroine who finds harmonious ways to outwit the king's efforts to do away with her, until the people recognize her gifts sufficiently to place HER on the throne.
The Cameroonian story along with the brilliant colors of the illustrations make for an enjoyable reading experience for all ages.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

There once lived a girl who was very smart and very wise. She helped her people make decisions, but the king was jealous of her, and he tried to put her to death. Every time she evaded the king, and finally he was forced to work with her. But again he became jealous of her and tried to have her killed, and the people deposed the wicked king and replaced the king with the wise girl.

An old story set in Cameroon.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Folktale from Cameroon about a girl born with a brilliant mind and brave spirit. Her name, Sense Pass King, alludes to the fact that she is much wiser than the local ruler.

[Faith Elizabeth Hough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, of course!

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story of a precocious little girl outwitting a evil king. The illustration are wonderful Trina Schart Hyman brilliance!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ages 6 and up. A girl from a village in Cameroon outsmarts the king every time. Beautifully illustrated.

[Sam Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots and lots I liked about this book:

1) The illustrations are fantastic. I LOVE Sense Pass King riding out of the forest on the jaguar with the snake on her shoulders. What a fierce little girl! And she only gets awesomer as she gets older.

2) She is a heroine in all the traditional ways that boys are heroes (not surprising, since Katrin Tchana changed the story her husband grew up with in Cameroon to feature a girl instead of a boy), and I think that is still needed.

3) There is a little girl who is supposed to marry the king (not Sense Pass King), and she and Sense Pass King appear to live happily ever after together (as friends? it doesn't matter and doesn't say, but hooray for two young women).

4) Did I mention how much I adore the illustrations?

I'm giving it a five after one quick read through, but time may temper my excitement. However, I'm pretty darn sure I would have LOVED this as a kid.



-- sidenote, I love the photo on the back of the author with her husband and sons --

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it is unique. The brave and clever main character that is wiser than the king is a young girl rather than a young boy, which is often the typical sex of a character with these attributes. The setting is also different than most American children's books because the story takes place in an African village. This would be a good book to read to children in order for them to see that girls/women can also be brave, intelligent, and powerful just like men. It also gives them a chance to see a world outside of theirs, and realize that there are many different cultures around the world.

[Maria Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interest Level: Ages K-4
Reading Level: Ages 4-5
Lexile Reading Level: AD510L
Nominated for: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (in 2005)
Georgia Children's Picture Story Book Award (in 2006)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (in 2004)
Red Clover Award (in 2004)
Treasure State Award (in 2004)


An emotional children's book that portrays the ancient culture in Cameroon, Africa and its royal traditions, illustrated with colorful and realistic pictures. Excellent option for Multicultural lessons/classrooms due to its rich cultural content.

[Camille Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Ma'antah, also known as Sense Pass King, is an incredibly smart and wise little girl who impressed everyone with what she was able to do. When the king found out about her, he wanted her killed. After several failed attempts, he decided to take her as a servant. It was then, that Ma'antah outsmarted the king and eventually took the throne from him by vote of the people. The illustrations of this book are absolutely beautiful! The story, on the other hand, is interesting, but a bit strange for me. I would use this book in the classroom as an example of constructing a story and what kind of elements are involved.

[Lisa Lecompte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma’antah is a very smart, young girl with more sense than the king, earning her the name “Sense Pass King.” Angering the king, he orders his soldiers to get rid of Ma’antah several times, but each time he is outsmarted. He finally decides to have Ma’antah live with him in the palace. When the king has the chance to marry the emperor’s daughter, Ma’antah is able to convince Titayah to return to the palace with them. Facing many challenges on the way, Ma’antah loses her name but is rewarded for her cleverness.

[Becca Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

The child was nick named the "Sense Pass King," because the villagers claimed she had more sense than their king. He couldn't get rid of her, so he required that she stay by his side at all times, until an unexpected occurrence happens on a voyage... This is a wonderful story of a strong and very intelligent young woman.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a message last night that a second grade class wanted to come at opening time the next day. My present library doesn't have a program collection & I hadn't been doing elementary programs at my last posting. So I ran to the folktale section and saw this. The class was quite attentive and enjoyed this story of a girl with more sense than the King.

[Kristie Oke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has rich illustrations and a strong female main character, even though the original story has a male main character. It reveals that the Cameroon people value honesty, wisdom, and wit. I enjoyed the creativity of the main character. This book could be used in a lesson or unit about different types of literature.

[CanadianReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful art and a great traditional story from Cameroon. Purists might be uncomfortable with the fact that the author changed the central character, "Sense Pass King", an extraordinarily clever child, from male to female in her telling. The story still works extremely well and could be shared with a range of elementary grade levels.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully illustrated with colorful, detailed depictions of life in Cameroon. The text flows smoothly and has a sense of rhythm to it. The text, paired with the illustrations, give a clear understanding of the life and traditions in Cameroon when this story originated.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The is an old tale from Cameroon where a young girl is born very smart. The villagers say she has more sense than even the king, hence her name. The king is threatened by her and keeps her near. Eventually she is made queen by the villagers.

[Sheniqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this story because it honors a female character. Ma'atannah is a clever little girl. However, the king in her village does not like anyone brighter than himself. He sends his men to try and capture the young girl, but she escapes each of their traps.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books where the girls are smarter than the boys! And of course this one is illustrated by my favorite, Trina Schart Hyman.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations for African folktales!

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing a little stiff, but this wasn't a tale I knew, so I appreciated that. Illustrations are pure Trina-goodness.

[Debrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

gorgeous pix of course; tale with spunky heroine; girl power!

[Shunta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of leadership, and using your brain to solve problems. Invovles using your imagination and being yourself.

[Adramane Minkale · Rating 1 out of 5]

i thimnk the is folkore culturtal