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Sundiata: Lion King of Mali
In the thirteenth century, Sundiata overcame physical handicaps, social disgrace, and strong opposition to rule the West African trading empire of Mali.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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286 people want to read
About the author
David Wisniewski
34 books16 followersDavid R. Wisniewski was an American writer and illustrator best known for children's books.
He attended the University of Maryland, College Park but quit after one semester to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, graduating in 1973. He worked for several years as a clown before moving to Maryland and joining the Prince George's Country Puppet Theatre where he met his wife Donna Harris. In 1980, they started the Clarion Puppet Theatre (later known as the Clarion Shadow Theatre) which toured in schools, theaters and at the Smithsonian. After his children were born, he become a full-time author/ illustrator, using layers of cut paper to illustrate children's books. His book Golem, won the 1997 Caldecott Medal.
In his acceptance speech, he said of himself: "I am a self-taught artist and writer who depends on instincts developed through years of circus and puppet performance to guide a story's structure and look."
He attended the University of Maryland, College Park but quit after one semester to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, graduating in 1973. He worked for several years as a clown before moving to Maryland and joining the Prince George's Country Puppet Theatre where he met his wife Donna Harris. In 1980, they started the Clarion Puppet Theatre (later known as the Clarion Shadow Theatre) which toured in schools, theaters and at the Smithsonian. After his children were born, he become a full-time author/ illustrator, using layers of cut paper to illustrate children's books. His book Golem, won the 1997 Caldecott Medal.
In his acceptance speech, he said of himself: "I am a self-taught artist and writer who depends on instincts developed through years of circus and puppet performance to guide a story's structure and look."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 27, 2017
Wow! I loved this book!
One of Disney's better movies is The Lion King. The Story of Sundiata inspired The Lion King. But this story of Sundiata, The Lion King, is SO much better than the movie. Sundiata was not able to walk or talk for his first nine years, yet he overcame his disabilities and kept his innate compassion, and became a remarkable ruler.
And the artwork! Absolutely, stunningly beautiful!
One of Disney's better movies is The Lion King. The Story of Sundiata inspired The Lion King. But this story of Sundiata, The Lion King, is SO much better than the movie. Sundiata was not able to walk or talk for his first nine years, yet he overcame his disabilities and kept his innate compassion, and became a remarkable ruler.
And the artwork! Absolutely, stunningly beautiful!
January 22, 2021
An interesting African "fairy tale". Light triumphs over darkness.
December 6, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was very enlightened by the love of a parent to their child and the courage of a young man's promised to fulfill his destiny. This book read like a TV movie and you were waiting to see who the good guys were and who were the bad guys. To wait and see who would conquer all. In Sundiata story was one of great improbabilities, the fact that the old buffalo women in the forest was befriended and then gave over he spirit, and then his mother having a hunchback and not attractive at all marrying the king and finally Sundiata being born with a handicap was the less likely to be come king. Sundiata rose to his destiny and took over the kingdom as was promised by his father. This story made me a believer of my destiny and to know that I have a purpose and a plan I may not know it right now, but if I keep striving to be better and better I will achieve what is promised to me.
It was said that the Lion King the movie was created from this book, its funny and has some similarities but doesn't come close tot he original story. The Lion King I believe was loosely based on this book, and the Sundiata Mali King, the Sundiata story told of obstacles he had to overcome and after the death of his father is was apparent that not everyone was pleased the he was chosen to be King. He even had 11 of his brothers and sisters killed, the fact that he was able to escape was another moment of divine intervention that differs in this story from the movie the Lion King. Sundiata was a great warrior in the end which the prophecies had told of. This book will give you great insight of a son's mission a mothers love, and a fathers plan for the future.
It was said that the Lion King the movie was created from this book, its funny and has some similarities but doesn't come close tot he original story. The Lion King I believe was loosely based on this book, and the Sundiata Mali King, the Sundiata story told of obstacles he had to overcome and after the death of his father is was apparent that not everyone was pleased the he was chosen to be King. He even had 11 of his brothers and sisters killed, the fact that he was able to escape was another moment of divine intervention that differs in this story from the movie the Lion King. Sundiata was a great warrior in the end which the prophecies had told of. This book will give you great insight of a son's mission a mothers love, and a fathers plan for the future.
August 14, 2017
In this picture book, the illustrations are brilliant cut-outs, giving an almost three-dimensional appearance to the artwork. The vibrancy of the bold hues also illuminates this tale of a legendary Mali king.
Lots of stories of heroes are about people who grew up in adverse circumstances (think King Arthur and Harry Potter, e.g.). But Sundiata grew up with adversity. Born to an ugly, hunchbacked mother, he was incapable of speech or mobility for his first seven years and subsequently despised and ridiculed by his father’s court. Prince Sundiata’s tale is a familiar three-arc story. He suffers conflict (his father’s first wife hates him and strives to have him killed), takes an arduous journey and fights an epic battle against an evil sorcerer to regain his best friend and his rightful throne.
His story is that of a resourceful prince. He learns warfare and demonstrates many of the fabled signs of a leader: courage, determination, kindness, loyalty, generosity, stamina and perseverance.
The author’s helpful notes at the back of the novel help provide even more background. Many parts of Africa didn’t have a written tradition, which confused European missionaries/invaders/slavers into thinking they didn’t have a history (ludicrous, of course). Griots, two of them featured in this story, functioned as seers, advisors, historians and raconteurs, maintaining a people’s verbal connection to their country’s history as well as knowledge of familial lineage. Thus, the author had to demonstrate a certain amount of creativity, such as in crafting what Sundiata’s flag may have looked like.
This artistic license enhances this story. Rich with color and steeped in tradition, this picture book will appeal to people who like stories of kings, queens, nations and adventure.
Lots of stories of heroes are about people who grew up in adverse circumstances (think King Arthur and Harry Potter, e.g.). But Sundiata grew up with adversity. Born to an ugly, hunchbacked mother, he was incapable of speech or mobility for his first seven years and subsequently despised and ridiculed by his father’s court. Prince Sundiata’s tale is a familiar three-arc story. He suffers conflict (his father’s first wife hates him and strives to have him killed), takes an arduous journey and fights an epic battle against an evil sorcerer to regain his best friend and his rightful throne.
His story is that of a resourceful prince. He learns warfare and demonstrates many of the fabled signs of a leader: courage, determination, kindness, loyalty, generosity, stamina and perseverance.
The author’s helpful notes at the back of the novel help provide even more background. Many parts of Africa didn’t have a written tradition, which confused European missionaries/invaders/slavers into thinking they didn’t have a history (ludicrous, of course). Griots, two of them featured in this story, functioned as seers, advisors, historians and raconteurs, maintaining a people’s verbal connection to their country’s history as well as knowledge of familial lineage. Thus, the author had to demonstrate a certain amount of creativity, such as in crafting what Sundiata’s flag may have looked like.
This artistic license enhances this story. Rich with color and steeped in tradition, this picture book will appeal to people who like stories of kings, queens, nations and adventure.
January 13, 2024
I don't know why only the hardcover edition has a black-and-white thumbnail. It should be in colour like the paperback edition.
I know I shouldn't *necessarily* dock points for this, but... it still just feels weird reading books about people of colour that were created by... not those people. Like, a book about Asian people, written by a South American person, would feel just as strange, especially since we have the ways now to get books about certain peoples created BY those certain peoples. It's something of a thing I can't unsee now.
This book does at least feel respectfully treated, I'll say. It's easier to do when handling folklore, since those stories are already established, rather than invented wholesale and according to the creator's prejudices. The actual story reminds me a bit of Arslan, though, I suppose because competing heirs is a "normal" problem with royalty. (Also, why it's important to have ALL members of a polygamous union on the same page, I think...)
The art is super pretty, though! I love the effort of cutting out all of the paper forms for a nice layering effect that simple 2-D wouldn't capture. The printing in this edition is slightly bad, though, and some of the words are blurry on certain pages. I would hope this isn't true of all the copies, but mine is a bit bad. I'd recommend... not my copy of this book, haha.
I know I shouldn't *necessarily* dock points for this, but... it still just feels weird reading books about people of colour that were created by... not those people. Like, a book about Asian people, written by a South American person, would feel just as strange, especially since we have the ways now to get books about certain peoples created BY those certain peoples. It's something of a thing I can't unsee now.
This book does at least feel respectfully treated, I'll say. It's easier to do when handling folklore, since those stories are already established, rather than invented wholesale and according to the creator's prejudices. The actual story reminds me a bit of Arslan, though, I suppose because competing heirs is a "normal" problem with royalty. (Also, why it's important to have ALL members of a polygamous union on the same page, I think...)
The art is super pretty, though! I love the effort of cutting out all of the paper forms for a nice layering effect that simple 2-D wouldn't capture. The printing in this edition is slightly bad, though, and some of the words are blurry on certain pages. I would hope this isn't true of all the copies, but mine is a bit bad. I'd recommend... not my copy of this book, haha.
July 23, 2023
Many people have little knowledge of the history of the African continent before, or after, colonialism. This picture book is an excellent introduction for both children and adults about the kingdom of Mali which was located in the western part of the continent. The narrative is easy to read and the drawings are fantastic! After reading this book, an avid reader has many more books available on the history of African kingdoms to read and learn.
March 25, 2024
I had to give this one four stars because the author took such great pains to get the story and the illustrations as accurate as possible. Sundiata is a hero that we should all know more about. What a fascinating time, it is somewhat reminiscent of the story of the tribes coming together under Egbert in Anglo-Saxon England as Egbert was also exiled and then returned and took over as ruler and grew the kingdom. Intriguing how these two very different places have similar ruler stories.
May 13, 2022
Gorgeously illustrated book and a gripping classic story. Great read aloud for studying ancient Africa. Has some difficult elements like witches (I liked that the witches couldn't hurt him if he didn't get angry) and having two wives, but nothing much different from what kids would encounter in Bible stories.
December 27, 2023
Great “children’s book” re-telling of the Sundiata “fairy tale” from ancient African history. The art is tremendous! Highly suggest using as a resource if teaching D.T. Niane’s Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali to high school students.
July 21, 2018
I loved everything about this one.
December 1, 2019
Beautiful Book. The artwork is stunning. Written for children but the last page has a significant historical summary of Sundiata's life. Great for adults.
December 30, 2019
Beautifully illustrated and told.
December 7, 2020
Good story with lots of lessons in life.
July 12, 2021
A beautiful book. Artwork was fabulous. Text was clear and simple to understand. Interesting history.
June 13, 2022
Beautifully illustrated retold folktale from Mali
August 26, 2023
It’s okay. Made for people under 8.
August 29, 2024
A beautiful book that shows the tale of Sundiata! It was a great resource for my 6th graders.
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April 21, 2025For school
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May 11, 2016• Interest Level: Middle Grades
• Reading Level: 5.2
• Guided Reading Level: P
• Genre: Traditional Literature
• Support for the genre: This story is meant to be told to different generations and states this in the introduction.
• Additional Genres: Picture Books
Summary:
A woman is brought to the king of lions and is said to have the strength of the buffalo. The King marries her and has a child who can’t walk or talk. The King’s other wife gets jealous because she has a son with the King as well and is angry when the King chooses the ‘weak’ child to be the next king. When the king dies, the jealous wife takes over and casts out the other child and mother. They gain strength and end up adopted into a new community; the boy grows up and becomes a strong leader. Word travels to him that there is a war in his homeland and he travels back to help, bringing the army of people he has met along the way. There is also a sorcerer that gets defeated.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Ideas:
The main idea seems to be a retelling of a story perhaps based upon history at one point. There are many characters and many different challenges; concepts and events taking place, which makes it unclear.
Organization:
The story is chronological and spans a lifetime of a character. The sentences are long and include many challenging words for the reader.
Word Choice:
There are some culturally specific words and names used. The names are all very similar in spelling, and many different character names, which causes confusion.
Presentation:
A lot of color choices and motifs to represent the culture of the story are used.
Classroom Integration and other suggestions:
This is a very challenging story to read, it is easy to mix up the characters and the author has chosen too much content for the length of the story. Students could be assigned to edit the book into a lower level reading book, so they can learn to choose the most important ideas to include in a clearer way.
• Reading Level: 5.2
• Guided Reading Level: P
• Genre: Traditional Literature
• Support for the genre: This story is meant to be told to different generations and states this in the introduction.
• Additional Genres: Picture Books
Summary:
A woman is brought to the king of lions and is said to have the strength of the buffalo. The King marries her and has a child who can’t walk or talk. The King’s other wife gets jealous because she has a son with the King as well and is angry when the King chooses the ‘weak’ child to be the next king. When the king dies, the jealous wife takes over and casts out the other child and mother. They gain strength and end up adopted into a new community; the boy grows up and becomes a strong leader. Word travels to him that there is a war in his homeland and he travels back to help, bringing the army of people he has met along the way. There is also a sorcerer that gets defeated.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Ideas:
The main idea seems to be a retelling of a story perhaps based upon history at one point. There are many characters and many different challenges; concepts and events taking place, which makes it unclear.
Organization:
The story is chronological and spans a lifetime of a character. The sentences are long and include many challenging words for the reader.
Word Choice:
There are some culturally specific words and names used. The names are all very similar in spelling, and many different character names, which causes confusion.
Presentation:
A lot of color choices and motifs to represent the culture of the story are used.
Classroom Integration and other suggestions:
This is a very challenging story to read, it is easy to mix up the characters and the author has chosen too much content for the length of the story. Students could be assigned to edit the book into a lower level reading book, so they can learn to choose the most important ideas to include in a clearer way.
March 10, 2015
This book is illustrated wonderfully. The images are vibrant and powerful. They cover the full pages and add to the feeling of the book: a feeling of power and heritage.
Sundiata was the child of the King of Mali and a damsel that was born of the buffalo. King Maghan was born of the Lion so this would make a good pair. However, their child Sundiata was sickly for quite some time. He never spoke and would not walk. The king wanted him to take the necessary steps to fulfill his role as the heir to Maghan's throne. Sundiata had an older brother from another mother, this lady hated Sundiata and his mother because they posed a threat to her son and his claim to the throne. As time went on the King Maghan died and Sundiata was supposed to be king, however, his physical limitations caused people to not take him seriously. His brother took the throne and Sundiata and his mother were exiled. During their 7 year exile Sundiata grew in strength and wisdom. He knew he had to make his way home at some point to regain his throne, so when he was told that Mali was attacked by a sorcerer, and he drove out his brother and step-mother he reacted with force. Sundiata grew an army from all of the kings that helped him along the way of his exile and stormed his old kingdom, killing the sorcerer and reclaiming his rightful throne. Sundiata restored peace and order in Mali and ruled justly for many years.
I would recommend this book for elementary age students that might have physical limitations or and type of limitation. This would be a great book for students to read individually. I think Sundiatata is appropriate for grades 3-5 and would work to show students that challenges in life can be overcomes with hard work and persistence.
Sundiata was the child of the King of Mali and a damsel that was born of the buffalo. King Maghan was born of the Lion so this would make a good pair. However, their child Sundiata was sickly for quite some time. He never spoke and would not walk. The king wanted him to take the necessary steps to fulfill his role as the heir to Maghan's throne. Sundiata had an older brother from another mother, this lady hated Sundiata and his mother because they posed a threat to her son and his claim to the throne. As time went on the King Maghan died and Sundiata was supposed to be king, however, his physical limitations caused people to not take him seriously. His brother took the throne and Sundiata and his mother were exiled. During their 7 year exile Sundiata grew in strength and wisdom. He knew he had to make his way home at some point to regain his throne, so when he was told that Mali was attacked by a sorcerer, and he drove out his brother and step-mother he reacted with force. Sundiata grew an army from all of the kings that helped him along the way of his exile and stormed his old kingdom, killing the sorcerer and reclaiming his rightful throne. Sundiata restored peace and order in Mali and ruled justly for many years.
I would recommend this book for elementary age students that might have physical limitations or and type of limitation. This would be a great book for students to read individually. I think Sundiatata is appropriate for grades 3-5 and would work to show students that challenges in life can be overcomes with hard work and persistence.
December 7, 2015
I think this is an amazing story that was great to read. It is a great story about teaching people not to judge others on how they may look on the outside because you never know what the future may hold for them.
Starting out, you have two hunters that pass an old ugly lady that is hungry. Instead of ignoring her and going on their way, they actually talk to her and are really nice and give her some food. They find out from talking to her how to kill this buffalo that no other hunter has been able to do. This is just one example of how this story shows that just because you may not like the way someone looks, they could be very important in your life.
There are all types of prejudice in this world that people have to go through and growing up I felt a little bit of it because I was overweight and my family didn’t have a lot of money. I think the outcome of that can go different ways. Someone can grow up bitter about being judged and made fun of or they can turn it around and make something positive out of it. Sundiata is a great example of turning a bad situation around and making it a lot better for himself. He was born deformed and ugly, he never walked on two feet until the age of eight. Even though it was said that Sundiata was supposed to be the next great King of the Mali people, it didn’t seem that way at his birth and while he was a child growing up. He finally decided one day by the encouragement of his mother to prove all of them wrong and worked hard to be a great fighter. All of his worked payed off, by the end of the story he was exactly that.
I loved this story and I do believe it has a great message in it and would recommend it to others and would read over and over again.
Starting out, you have two hunters that pass an old ugly lady that is hungry. Instead of ignoring her and going on their way, they actually talk to her and are really nice and give her some food. They find out from talking to her how to kill this buffalo that no other hunter has been able to do. This is just one example of how this story shows that just because you may not like the way someone looks, they could be very important in your life.
There are all types of prejudice in this world that people have to go through and growing up I felt a little bit of it because I was overweight and my family didn’t have a lot of money. I think the outcome of that can go different ways. Someone can grow up bitter about being judged and made fun of or they can turn it around and make something positive out of it. Sundiata is a great example of turning a bad situation around and making it a lot better for himself. He was born deformed and ugly, he never walked on two feet until the age of eight. Even though it was said that Sundiata was supposed to be the next great King of the Mali people, it didn’t seem that way at his birth and while he was a child growing up. He finally decided one day by the encouragement of his mother to prove all of them wrong and worked hard to be a great fighter. All of his worked payed off, by the end of the story he was exactly that.
I loved this story and I do believe it has a great message in it and would recommend it to others and would read over and over again.
December 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this read this semester, it is a story about a ruler of Mali that although had physical limitations overcame his trials and tribulations. This is a great story for any child to read for encouragement I think. And besides I’m a sucker for the movie too…and yes I cry every time I see it and it just touches me in a way!
The story of Sundiata reminded me greatly of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis from the Bible too. I recognized some similarities to the movie of The Lion King in terms of the fight and struggle it represented and the love that overcame from both. The legend of Sundiata is from generations to generations passed down. And each generation experiences something completely different than before. I know that all facts and opinions are not always added but overall it was very inspiring for me to read it. Sundiata being a young crippled little boy who was unfairly treated by his brothers; overcame that stereotyped. His perseverance and his ambitions to change the eyes of others led him to walk proudly. When his father and brothers were unfortunately killed he returned as a man and fought his father’s killer… What a great revenge to have for your love ones.
Sundiata gained his respect and establish his kingdom, a ruler has to show strength and Sundiata is a person worthy of being respected and to be remembered as a great person.
The story of Sundiata reminded me greatly of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis from the Bible too. I recognized some similarities to the movie of The Lion King in terms of the fight and struggle it represented and the love that overcame from both. The legend of Sundiata is from generations to generations passed down. And each generation experiences something completely different than before. I know that all facts and opinions are not always added but overall it was very inspiring for me to read it. Sundiata being a young crippled little boy who was unfairly treated by his brothers; overcame that stereotyped. His perseverance and his ambitions to change the eyes of others led him to walk proudly. When his father and brothers were unfortunately killed he returned as a man and fought his father’s killer… What a great revenge to have for your love ones.
Sundiata gained his respect and establish his kingdom, a ruler has to show strength and Sundiata is a person worthy of being respected and to be remembered as a great person.
December 7, 2015
There are many versions of this story, but this version in particular is a version for children, as the author that created a pop up book for it. However this is an Epic story that is retold by what is called Groits. If you like a story for preserverance this is a good story, the main character is someone who only certain people knew he would reign as king. His own blood betrayed him, Sundiata learned to stand up be strong and take back what is his. The good thing about this story being retold is that it never changed, maybe small details but the complete plot is the same. That fact should give some validity to the history, for example Walt Disney's version "The Lion King" is another version. Newer versions are easy to read, but if you go back to older versions, the language is not English, and the time of the story dates back to the 1300s. So weather you read the children's version or the adult version, a great story comes from it.
December 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this read, it is a story about a ruler of Mali that although had physical limitations overcame them and became a great part of history.
The story of Sundiata reminded me greatly of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis from the Bible, and also I recognized some similarities to the movie of The Lion King. Although the legend of Sundiata was passed down from generations to generations, and there could have been some alterations to the story, I think it was a very well preserved legend that is still inspiring. Sundiata was a crippled boy and treated badly by his brothers but his perseverance led him to walk and after his father and brothers were all killed he returned as a man and fought his fathers killer.
He gained respect and a kingdom, a ruler like Sundiata is worthy of being spoken of for years to come.
The story of Sundiata reminded me greatly of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis from the Bible, and also I recognized some similarities to the movie of The Lion King. Although the legend of Sundiata was passed down from generations to generations, and there could have been some alterations to the story, I think it was a very well preserved legend that is still inspiring. Sundiata was a crippled boy and treated badly by his brothers but his perseverance led him to walk and after his father and brothers were all killed he returned as a man and fought his fathers killer.
He gained respect and a kingdom, a ruler like Sundiata is worthy of being spoken of for years to come.
June 27, 2011
Most of us are familiar with medieval times in Europe, but what about other parts of the world? This picture book is an historical fiction simplifying and overviewing an episode in the history of the African empires of the middle ages. Readers can see people all over the world have similar feelings and challenges while learning cultural differences. The cut-paper illustrations are a colorful, enjoyable study in themselves with autheticity reflected in the colors and patterns, and even in the characters (read the note at the end of the book for the author's description of the origin of his art and ideas). Bold colors and a heroic story are stepping stones in broadening our experiences with the histories of other cultures.
July 21, 2008
With an intended audience range of 4 year olds to 8 years old, this book treads on dangerous territory. In a culture of violence, do we really want to introduce sorcery, curses, witches, and violence in a positive light to our pre-schoolers? I give 1 star as a token vote for the admirable illustrations.
August 6, 2024
The illustrations in this book are fantastic, with bold, contrasting colors making them really pop. The actual text on the other hand was a bit of a let down. While it is understandable for in depth detail to be pared down for a children's book, the historical synopsis on the very last page told me important details that weren't mentioned at all in the actual story.
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August 24, 2022A teacher friend recommended this to me. Especially when it was new, it was an important book... how many other picture-books about Mali are available to children (age 8-12 I'm guessing)? Ideally something from an author who was raised in the culture would be avl, but meanwhile this is dramatic, beautifully illustrated, and (according to the note) carefully researched.
January 5, 2008
Gorgeous paper-cut illustrations. The note at the end explains the research and artistic decisions made by Wisniewski. It's a good story to read one-on-one with a precocious tyke. Plenty of opportunity for questions and further exploration.
October 23, 2014
Story of the life and triumph of the cripple prince who becomes a warrior and powerful king. Read it to the kids a fair amount.
See: Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by D.T. Niane for longer/adult version.
See: Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by D.T. Niane for longer/adult version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews