A young girl participates in a West African masquerade with a special plan to honor her grandfather who has passed away.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Africa
Materials from Africa
The Very Best Sukkah: A Story From Uganda
Sukkot is Shoshi’s favorite Jewish holiday. She and her brothers love to decorate their sukkah, the hut where her family will celebrate. But who will win the Ugandan Abayudaya community’s annual sukkah contest? While only one sukkah can be the best, everybody wins when neighbors work together.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.
A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin
In Roseanne A. Brown’s captivating debut novel, “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin,” readers are transported to a world inspired by West African folklore, where two unlikely adversaries find themselves drawn together by fate and circumstance.
Malik, a desperate refugee fleeing war-torn lands, sees the Solstasia festival in the prosperous desert city of Ziran as a chance to secure a better life for himself and his sisters. However, when his younger sister Nadia is abducted by a vengeful spirit demanding the life of Karina, the Crown Princess of Ziran, Malik strikes a dangerous bargain—to assassinate Karina in exchange for Nadia’s freedom.
Set against a backdrop of ancient evils and simmering tensions, “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” is a gripping tale of injustice, magic, and romance. With its richly imagined world and compelling characters, this New York Times bestseller is sure to enchant readers.
The Walking School Bus
Inspired by interviews conducted with children in rural African and India, author Aaron Friedland tells the story of a brother and sister, Shaka and Nandi, who must find a way to get to school safely. With their father having to go to work in a mine far away, they won’t be able to go to school anymore because of the long, and unsafe, distance. But after discovering a yellow toy school bus, Shaka and Nandi come up with a brilliant solution that will take the whole community to help bring it to fruition.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.
Daughters Of Oduma
Sixteen year old Dirt, a retired elite female fighter, must enter the South God Bow tournament to protect her found family of younger sisters and their beloved Mud Fam.
The Speckled Feather
In the wide savanna there are three birds named Ade, Emem, and Nuru, that live on the back of an elephant. They are best friends. But one day the wind blows a bright speckled feather into their midst, and in no time their peacefulness is over.
Egyptian Lullaby
A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture.
Lolas Nana-Bibi Comes To Visit
Lola’s grandmother is coming to visit, and Lola can’t wait for all the family fun. Nana-Bibi will stay in Lola’s room, so Lola gets to sleep on a special blow-up bed. The family spends the week doing different activities, like shopping for presents for family back in Tanzania, having dance parties, and making special mandazi doughnuts. Nana-Bibi and Lola share a special time as Nana-Bibi remembers all the things she used to do with her nana. This multigenerational celebration of grandmas, moms, and grandaughters will reassure all children preparing for a visit from a faraway relative.
All Rise: Resistance And Rebellion In South Africa
All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa is a four-part graphic history series. Based on little-known court records, each volume consists of six stories of resistance by marginalized South Africans against colonial and apartheid governments. This first installment, which spans the “Union period” of 1910-48, was researched and written by South African historian Richard Conyngham and each illustrated by a different South African artist. The stories in All Rise combine a variety of universal issues related to justice and human rights with a refreshing narrative medium. By foregrounding “anonymous” protagonists with lesser-known histories, the book breathes new life into a terrain of written history that until now has been dominated by icons.
The Happiest Lion Cub
In the savanna lands of Africa, there lives a lion cub who dreams of being a musician. But his father is against this because he expects the lion cub to become the king of the animals. And in order to become the king, he must learn how to growl menacingly, not how to play instruments and sing. Will the lion cub really have to abandon his dream?