Africa South of the Sahara
Ghana
Grandma's List
By Portia Dery, Toby Newsome (Illustrator)
Grandma’s List. Portia Dery. Illustrated by Toby Newsome. Windmill Books, 2021. Originally published by African Bureau Stories,Ghana, 2017. ISBN 9781499486322. 32 p. (Ages 5-7). Picture book.
Eight-year-old Fatima wants to help her grandma complete her chore list, but while running errands, Fatima loses the list and has to recall the list by memory. Fatima believes she remembers everything correctly, but once everything is done, she and her family realize she got everything mixed up. As Fatima moves through the list of chores, the reader experiences a typical Ghanaian neighborhood and can learn about traditional West African foods like palm nut soup, groundnuts (peanuts), and Bissap drink. 2018 Children’s Africana Book Award (CABA) winner. This book would pair well with Don’t Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins. Kid’s read aloud - Grandma’s List -Storytime Haven. [gd]
South Africa
I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu
By Refiloe Moahloli, Zinelda McDonald (Illustrator)
I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu. Refiloe Moahloli. Illustrated by Zinelda McDonald. Amazon Crossing Kids, 2022. Originally published as We Are One by Pan Macmillan, in South Africa, in 2020. ISBN 9781542035668. 32 p. (Ages 5-7). Picture book.
Ubuntu is a common belief throughout southern Africa that we are all connected to one another, no matter where we are from. Stating “A person is a person through their connections to other people,” this book celebrates kindness, friendship, and peace. A 2023 USBBY Outstanding International Books List selection. [gd]
Paris Cat
By Dianne Hofmeyr, Piet Grobler (Illustrator)
Paris Cat. Dianne Hofmeyr. Illustrated by Piet Grobler. Tiny Owl Publishing, 2020. First published in London, 2020. ISBN 9781910328620. 32 p. (Ages 5-7). Picture book.
Kitty is determined to follow her dreams to leave the alleyways of Paris to live all of her nine lives to the fullest. She travels around Paris singing with Edith Piaf, designing her own costumes, and dancing with Josephine Baker. A 2021 International Youth Library White Raven Selection. Learn more from the publisher’s website… and then watch the author read Paris Cat. [gd]
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]
Small Mercies
By Bridget Krone, Karen Vermeulen (Illustrator)
Small Mercies. Bridget Krone. Illustrated by Karen Vermeulen. Catalyst Press, 2020. Subsequently published by Walker Books, London, in 2020. ISBN: 9781946395160. 162 p. (Ages 8-12). Fiction.
Mercy lives with her two elderly foster aunts in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in a house that is falling apart at the seams and being eyed by a developer. After one of her classmates frames her for stealing the school’s raffle money, she meets Mr. Singh, who teaches her about how Gandhi stood up for what he believed in and how she needs to do the same. A 2022 Skipping Stones Honor Award recipient, a 2021 USBBY Outstanding International Books List title, and named a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. [gd]