Region: Africa

Materials from Africa

Now Is The Time For Running

By Book Importer | Published: May 21, 2012

Just down the road from their families, Deo and his friends play soccer in the dusty fields of Zimbabwe, cheered on by Deo’s older brother, Innocent. It is a day like any other . . . until the soldiers arrive and Deo and Innocent are forced to run for their lives, fleeing the wreckage of [...]

Other Descriptors: Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction, South Africa, Young Adult (ages 14-18), Zimbabwe » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

In The Small, Small Night

By Book Importer | Published: May 18, 2012

Kofi can’t sleep in his new home in the United States, so his older sister Abena soothes his fears about life in a different country by telling him two folktales from their native Ghana about the nature of wisdom and perseverance.

Other Descriptors: Early Years (ages 2-6), Ghana, Picture Book, United States of America » Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Meet Me At The Moon

By Book Importer | Published: May 11, 2012

A heartwarming love story between mother and child When Mama Elephant must leave Little One to ask the skies for rain, the young elephant is worried. Who will care for Little One? Who will sing Mama’s special songs? When will she return? Mama is very reassuring – Little One will hear her song on the [...]

Other Descriptors: Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

By Book Importer | Published: April 3, 2012

When 14-year-old William Kamkwamba’s Malawi village was hit by a drought in 2001, everyone’s crops began to fail. His family didn’t have enough money for food, let alone school, so William spent his days in the library. He came across a book on windmills and figured out how to build a windmill that could bring [...]

Other Descriptors: Biography, Malawi, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

A Is for Africa

By Book Importer | Published: March 3, 2012

The author, a member of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, presents text and her own photographs of twenty-six things, from A to Z, representative of all African peoples.

Other Descriptors: Nigeria, Nonfiction, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , » Leave a comment

The Parade

By Book Importer | Published: February 16, 2012

Here are seven Ananse stories from Ghana pulsating with mischievous animals, a touch of moral message and, peeping out wickedly above them all, Ananse the trickster spider. The original title story, The Parade, telling why Ananse became a trickster in the first place, is a worthy opener to six traditional stories including the favourites Ananse [...]

Other Descriptors: Folklore, Ghana, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Beatrice’s Dream: A Story of Kibera Slum

By Book Importer | Published: February 16, 2012

Beatrice is a thirteen-year-old orphan in Kibera, Nairobi – a Kenyan shantytown built on refuse and rubbish and one of the biggest slums in Africa. In this book she describes her life: her walk to school, the dust that blows between her teeth and the mud she wades through, her teacher’s down-to-earth encouragement, her fear [...]

Other Descriptors: Intermediate (ages 9-14), Kenya, Nonfiction » Themes: , , , , , , , » 1 Comment

Vacation in the Village

By Book Importer | Published: February 7, 2012

A boy discovers and takes pride in the customs of his people when he visits his family’s village.

Other Descriptors: Cameroon, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Promise The Night

By Book Importer | Published: January 18, 2012

For a young girl, Beryl has big dreams- bigger than the vast ranch in British East Africa where she is being raised by her demanding father.  Abandoned by her mother, who fled the remote African life to return to “civilized” England, Beryl’s only friend is her mother’s dog, Buller- that is, until one night when [...]

Other Descriptors: Historical Fiction, Kenya, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

The Third Gift

By Book Importer | Published: January 18, 2012

After harvesting an especially large “tear” of a resin known as myrrh, a young boy and his father visit a spice merchant whose three customers are seeking a special gift to bring to a baby. Includes biblical references and historical information about the Magi and myrrh.

Other Descriptors: Historical Fiction, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , , , » 1 Comment