Itah Sadu, well-known storyteller and children’s author, has brought her fans another gem: Mathieu Da Costa: First to Arrive. This delightful picture book introduces Mathieu Da Costa, the free African explorer and translator, to children. Sadu uses a song to tell of Mathieu Da Costa’s work as a translator for Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua de Monts.
Children will be delighted with the book, the pictures, and the song; parents and teachers will find themselves singing along with the children:
His name is seldom to be found
In history books all around
But now he is in Calypso
They will know him more
Mathieu Da Costa first to arrive!
Itah Sadu’s lovely lyrics bring Mathieu Da Costa to life for children, and for adults as well. Soon everyone will know of Da Costa; everyone will be singing, “He rode the waves with de Monts…Exploring, de Monts’ trade”. She ends the story/song with a lilting:
Oh Yo Yo Mathieu!
How in history
Speaking Mi’kmaq and French
With an accent
Oh Yo Yo Mathieu
How you do that?
Mathieu Da Costa: First to Arrive | Paperback
Itah Sadu | Roy Condy
A Different Publisher
Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography – Cultural Heritage / Adventure & Adventurers / History – Exploration & Discovery
Published Oct 1, 2009
