From: Robin Smith <smithr_at_ensworth.com>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 20:03:11 -0500

I am a huge fan of the new Anna Hibiscus series by Nigerian storyteller Ati nuke. Set in modern-day Africa ("Amazing Africa!") but modeled after Atinuk e's childhood memories of life in Nigeria, these early chapter books do som ething I was happily surprised by--it examines class structure from a young child's point of view. Most American kids make many assumptions about life in Africa and none of those assumptions would include seeing folks on that continent texting and using computers, let alone living in a huge compound ! Nor would they include a little girl who is just learning about the pover ty and strength of the people who live outside her glorious garden-filled c ompound. She learns that some children have to work for a living--that not everyone has new clothing--that the water she takes for granted is in short supply in the poorer parts of the city...and she learns all this in a natu ral, nonjudgmental way. I especially appreciated the grandparents in these stories, filled with wisdom and kindness for their Canadian-African grandda ughter.

I cannot recommend these books highly enough--my class of private schoool s econd graders listened with wide eyes as I read the series aloud. They lo ved Anna's good spirit and desire to do the right thing. They grabbed them up to read themselves as soon as I was done. They even talked me into order ing her new book from England!

Robin
Received on Tue 10 May 2011 08:03:11 PM CDT