You could say this book has three purposes – to portray the old adage about a problem shared being a problem halved, and to inspire respect for the story, and therefore everyone's voices. Our young lad has to try three times before he can convey his sad autobiography to anyone, but gets lucky with someone who is a story-teller herself. When his woes are out in the open he realises the edges have been taken off his unhappiness in the telling. And she, the old griot of the piece, is not just a story-teller herself, but a story-friend, someone who listens and respects what comes her way. Nothing is really thrust down the young audience's collective throat, whether it be the silence needed to learn from a story or the need to hear everyone have their say-so. All the same, I'm not sure how the piece will work with the young audience it seems aimed at – the artwork is fine but seems pitched a bit too old, and I think a clearer moral might have been called for. I'd still be optimistic for its success, mind, so a slightly generous four stars don't feel too far off.