The Children’s Africana Book Awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. The following selections include the honor awarded titles from 2015-2024.
Tasked with bringing a potluck lunch to school, Kofi learns the significance of food in his Ghanaian heritage as his grandfather unravels tales of resilience in the face of hardship. Includes a Jollof rice recipe.
From the stellar team of Atinuke and Lauren Tobia comes the third Anna Hibiscus picture book title brimming with all the best-loved Hibiscus family members - and Anna's two brand new baby brothers! Uncle Bizi-Sunday is shopping for the babies, Aunty Joli and Aunty Grace are rocking the babies and Mama and Grandma are fast asleep...but just who has time for Anna Hibiscus?
African Proverbs is An Oprah Book about the power of proverbs, how they evolve over time, and the wisdom of various cultures in Africa. Whether you're young or old, proverbs can open your mind to new ways of seeing the world. Children learn in multiple ways, but for each method by which they learn, they need engaged imagination and ignited visual sensibilities. Proverbs can stir our soul and spark our imagination
Forgetful sisters Siba and Saba are constantly losing things, then dreaming at night of the things that they have lost, until their dreams begin to reveal something else.
Kanzi's family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. Maybe that's why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. Mama wears a hijab and calls her daughter Habibti (dear one). When she leaves, the teasing starts.
Juma is excited to go fishing with his grandfather, Babu Ali. But when they get to the beach, they find the sand covered in plastic pollution--flip-flops, plastic straws, toothbrushes, bottles, and shopping bags. One of the flip-flops floating in on a wave looks like a boat. That gives Juma and Babu Ali an idea.
The great-grandchildren of Nelson Mandela ask their grandmother fifteen questions about the former South African president, from his activism work, his Nobel Peace Prize, and his time in prison.
When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade.
Songs about children playing in the schoolyard, sisters braiding each other's hair at the beach, and parents dancing late into the night mesh together thanks to the music. A wide array of styles--nursery rhymes from Gabon, lullabies from Cape Verde, and rumbas from the Congo--are performed in more than a dozen languages. Luminous artwork and homegrown instruments round off this wonderful celebration of history, language, and culture.
As a little girl and her father work together to make her birthday cake, he tells the story of her Grandpa Cacao, a farmer from the Ivory Coast. Includes author's note and a cake recipe.