Dinah Senkungu – författare

The Wishing Needle is adapted from a Ugandan folktale. I first heard this story when I visited my grandmother. I listened to my grandmothers stories every evening. My grandmother called her chickens by name. She owned about twenty-eight chickens. She woke up very early every day to let them out in the yard and to peck the ground for food. One day, my grandmothers favorite chicken, Toke, disappeared. We were all saddened by Tokes disappearance. That evening, as we sat by the fire, looking perplexed, grandmother started to narrate the story of The Wishing Needle.

Perhaps you met Winnie the Pooh! Perhaps your heart was swept away when Cinderella married the prince. Maybe you stayed up late, dreaming of Santa on The Night before Christmas! Have you checked your closet Where the Wild Things are and called your mother in the middle of the night? Or did tears roll down your face when Humpty Dumpty had a great fall? Now, the beloved characters of classic African folklore can enthrall you! They will equally delight your heart with humor, wisdom, and life lessons that have enchanted African children in centuries past. You will discover in this book why elephants are scared of the mice. Dinah Senkungu was born and raised in a village deep in the heart of Uganda, passionately recalling spending her early preschool days drawing on the ground and learning lifes lessons from the native folklore told to her by her elder relatives. She shares with modern children how long ago, the children of Ugandan villages would gather together around the fire in the evening moonlight to listen intently to the grand mysteries of their vibrant land and heritage through the retelling of vivid African folklore. She brings knowledge of the beautiful and timeless quality embodied in cultural folklore with her as she endeavors to enlighten her students. Dinah has taught English in both elementary and high school abroad. She is currently teaching in the United States of America and working on a doctorate degree in Education. She is also actively involved in improving the educational conditions in her native country. She participates in funding and purchasing of educational material for children in Uganda.