Time and again, little Chaka asks, and Papa Dembo shares what he has learned from life. Chaka inquires about Africa and its colors, about Papa Dembo's family and friends. The grandfather tells stories of his mother Kadidja, his father Samba, of Lawali, the lively one, and their shared pranks. He speaks of life in the village, fishing on the great yellow river, the onset of the rainy season after weeks of drought and heat, of the drops as precious as gold, of the wilderness, the spirits, and the seven days and nights when he became a man. Little Chaka's questions seem endless, and through him, readers hear in an unusually poetic way about Africa and its people. Full-page paintings that leave much room for imagination, along with photographs of African masks and sculptures, complement the text into a valuable gift book.