Tattin Folki of the Romani and Traveling people were some of the first to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Our readers have much to learn from not only Ossiri’s innovative instrument-making, but also from her playing “from the heart, not for gain.” These activity sheets encourage readers to create their own instruments, learn to sew a button, construct a cardboard loom, and to explore Romani words. This review was originally posted on As Told By TinaOssiri and the Bala Mengro is a story of Traveling Storytellers. The story takes place in the UK and follows Ossiri and her family travel from place to place. Ossiri is interested in learning to play music but because her family is traveling storytellers they don’t have the money to buy her a new instrument. Ossiri goes on to recycle different materials to create an instrument. She’s not very good at playing the first time but continues to practice and the only one who ends up appreciating her music is the Bala Mengro.

Telling stories and cultural pride are so fundamental to all people, just as they are to Gypsy and Traveller communities,” says Rachel Cooper.Overall, the littles and I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the books Child’s Play sent us. A Traveller girl creates her own musical instrument from a willow branch and lots of recycled objects. She plays it enthusiastically, but it sounds terrible! Ignoring warnings not to awaken the ogre in the hills, Ossiri goes there to practise playing her instrument. Will she wake the ogre, and will it appreciate her playing? This original tale offers a fascinating insight into Travelling lifestyles and cultures. Ossiri desperately wanted to be a musician. But as her dreams began to fade, an unlikely fan gives Ossiri the confidence to keep going. Young people from both the Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities have been part of the development of the show, sharing their stories, experiences, learning dance and music, and recording their voices that appear as part of the show. Keira Martin worked closely with Gypsy and Traveller young people at Leeds GATE to bring this performance to life.

I also loved how the story emphasized recycling. The littles and I only recycle soda cans but it opened up the conversion about recycling and how we can recycle more. Ossiri was a Traveler girl. She and her family worked hard as ‘Tattin Folki’ or rag-and-bone people, as the settled people called them. Ossiri’s family recycled everything. They sold old clothes that they mended and altered, and they turned rags into paper…” —Ossiri and the Bala Mengro Ossiri came from a family of "Tattin Folki" - Travelers who were rag-and-bone people, recycling material they collected - and she worked hard. But her secret dream was to be a musician. Creating her own instrument, a Tattin Django, from found elements, she set out to make music, only to be discouraged by her family's negative reaction. Then she found herself playing for the Bala Mengro - a hairy ogre - and making her fortune...My grandson was reading this book with his class at school. Rarely had he been inspired to talk about his school work so much. he enjoyed the book so much that he wanted his own copy and was determined to read it himself. Anything that inspires and encourages kids to read is a good thing This tale of ‘Tattin Folki’ – or rag and bone people – vividly conjures a ‘Traveller’ way of life inside Britain that few ‘settled people’ know, and it comes from a collaboration between a Romani storyteller and a picture-book writer to capture oral stories before they are lost.