The Spirit of the Baobab Tree

\But I Have To Take Them With Me\ Jelani Insisted. \These Pictures Remind Me Of Home.\Nine-Year Old Jelani Simply Tolerates Life. Taken From His Mother And Involuntarily Placed In A Foster Home He DoesnT Care Much About School. Most Times He Can Be Found Just Floating Through Class Daydreaming As His Classmates Run Wild.Jelani Escapes The Cruel Realities Of Everyday Through His Drawings. Then One Day A Mystical Storyteller Appears From Within The Pages Of His Sketchbook To Tell Him And His Classmates A Story Of Their Past . . .Jelani Goes On A Journey That Uncovers The Truth Behind His Strange Drawings As Iyabo The Storyteller Takes The Children On A First Hand Journey Through The Lives Of Their Ancestors In African-American History.Can JelaniS Trip To The Past Give Him The Answers He Needs To Face The Obstacles In His Future?The Spirit Of The Baobab Tree Written By Dionne Champion And Sherice Grant Traces The Roots Of African People In America And Spotlights The Evolution Of African-American History And Culture. It Is An Original Folktale Told In Present-Day To Address The Issues And Perspectives Of Some Of HistoryS Most Significant Periods. It Teaches A Valuable Lesson On Where WeVe Been Where We Are And Where We Are Headed.Originally Performed As A Full Scale Dance Production By The Students Of Dancexcel Champion Center For Creative Arts Education In Gary Indiana And Now Presented In Storybook Form The Spirit Of The Baobab Tree Is Part Of A Continuing Effort Toward The Educational Enhancement Of Our Youth.