More than anything else, Bintou would like to have beautiful braids in her hair, as do all the older girls and women in her West African village. Even after her grandmother tells her a story that explains the tradition, Bintou still wishes to be 16, so she can have long braids with gold coins dangling on the ends. The small girl’s deeply felt wish is beautifully evoked through the French/Senegalese author’s lyrical narrative and the American artist’s stylized oil paintings. (Ages 4–8)