Africa South of the Sahara
Central African Republic
The Magic Doll: A Children's Book Inspired by African Art
By Yabouza Adrienne, Paul Kelly (Translator), Élodie Nouhen (Illustrator)
The Magic Doll: A Children’s Book Inspired by African Art. Yabouza Adrienne. Translated by Paul Kelly. Illustrated by Élodie Nouhen. Prestel Junior, 2020. Originally published as Une Poupée pour Maman in French by L’Élan Vert, in France, in 2019. ISBN 9783791374468. 32p. (Ages 4-9). Picture book.
Set in a small West African village, this book features a young girl who explains the special way she was born. She introduces the Akua-Ba fertility figures of the Akan people of Ghana, which are used by women who have difficulty getting pregnant. The story highlights the strong love mothers have for their children. Illustrations suggest traditional African art. A 2021 USBBY Outstanding International Books List selection. [gd]
China & Taiwan
China
Mao and Me
By Chen Jiang Hong, Claudia Zoe Bedrick (Translator)
Mao and Me. Chen Jiang Hong. Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. Enchanted Lion Books, 2008. Originally published as Mao et moi in French by l’École des loisirs, in Paris, in 2008. ISBN 9781592700790. 96 p. (Ages 6-10). Picture book.
Though born and educated in China, artist Chen Jiang Hong has lived in Paris since 1987. Mao and Me is his first autobiographical picture book about his childhood during Cultural Revolution-era China. In a realistic style, Chen narrates his experiences growing up, as the cataclysmic events of the era rain hardship down on his family and neighbors. All the while, however, he retains a child’s view of Mao, and perhaps even some lingering affection for him. [cr/dj]
The Middle East & North Africa
Israel
Adam & Thomas
By Aharon Appelfeld, Jeffrey M. Green (Translator), Philippe Dumas (Illustrator)
Adam & Thomas. Aharon Appelfeld. Translated by Jeffrey M. Green. Illustrated by Philippe Dumas. Seven Stories Press, 2015. Originally published as Yalda Shelo Minhaolam Hazé (A Girl from Another World) in Hebrew by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, in Modi’in, Israel, in 2013. ISBN 9781609806347. 149 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
It’s World War II in Poland, and the Jews have been rounded up to live in a ghetto. Adam and Thomas, two nine-year-olds, have been brought separately to the forest by their mothers to hide for the day. The boys find one another and join forces to survive for months, since neither mother returns that day. Adam “knows this forest and everything that’s in it” and Thomas is a great reader who does well in school. They survive by learning from each other and working together; benefiting from the kindness of others; and, in turn, helping others as they can. Master artist Philippe Dumas evokes the changing moods of the boys and the forest in sensitive ink-and-wash illustrations. More of a meditation on how to be in the world than a straightforward account of survival, the narrative raises philosophical questions of faith and more through the boys’ conversations. [ayg]