When Mamy Wata, the queen of all waters, finds a supposedly frightening monster crying in his cave, she is touched by his tears and wonders how she can make him happy again.

Veronique Tadjo is an award-winning writer, illustrator, and painter from the Ivory Coast who studied English and African-American literature and civilization. In addition to her children's books, she has written novels, poetry, and essays, and has edited anthologies of African writing.