Africa South of the Sahara
South Africa
Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa
By Niki Daly
Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa. Niki Daly. Clarion Books, 2007. Originally published as Pretty Salma by Frances Lincoln, in London, in 2006. ISBN 9780618723454. 32 p. (Ages 4-7). Picture book.
Pretty Salma is the story of Little Red Riding Hood set in contemporary urban Ghana and features West African cultural images such as traditional instruments, Anansi the trickster, a Ka Ka Motobi Bogeyman mask, and more. 2008 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2007 Parent’s Choice Award. [gd]
Here Comes Lolo
By Niki Daly
Here Comes Lolo. Niki Daly. Catalyst Press, 2020. Originally published by Otter-Barry Books, in Great Britain, in 2019. ISBN 9781946395337. 78 p. (Ages 4-9). Fiction.
Lolo is a little girl living with her mother and grandmother in South Africa. The first in a series of three books, Here Comes Lolo is composed of three stories that recount her hilarious adventures in getting a gold star at school, finding a missing ring, and rescuing a dog. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and nominated for the Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award. In this video Author Niki Daly Reads a story from Here Comes Lolo. Also check out Here Comes Lolo Teaching Guides from Catalyst Press. [gd]
India
Nimmi's Spectabulous Schooldays
By Shabnam Minwalla
Nimmi’s Spectabulous Schooldays. Shabnam Minwalla. Talking Cub, 2018. First published in New Delhi, India. ISBN 9789387693777. 160 p. (Ages 8-12). Fiction.
Eleven-year-old Nimmi Daruwala is just starting sixth grade and nothing seems to be going right. Part of the Nimmi series, this is a hilarious story about Nimmi and her misadventures with her friends. Would pair with the Lola Levine series by Monica Brown and the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton. The author is a journalist and children’s book writer. She was the former Senior Assistant Editor of the Times of India newspaper in Mumbai. Here is a review of the book. [mi]