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.
Sena thinks he is helping his poverty-stricken family when a man calling himself Jack of Diamonds promises him a job and a better life, but he ends up in the clutches of human traffickers and must use all his resolve to escape and survive.
Though the land of Kun used to be lush and green, Amara has only ever known her homeland as a dry, dusty desert. When the griots vanished more than a decade ago, they took their magic with them, along with goddess Oala's gifts of rain and plenty, leaving Kun controlled by a powerful and uncaring king. And though her foster mother, Zirachi, assures her that Kun is not under a curse, Amara can't help but wonder if her own origin, which is shrouded in mystery, is somehow linked to the broken kingdom. When Amara and Zirachi are attacked by the Nkume, the fearsome king's guard, Amara must flee, leaving all that she has known behind. With nowhere to go but knowing that she is under Oala's protection, Amara sets off to do the impossible: find the griots and save Kun before the kingdom blows away like dust.
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. Based on the true story of the Kenyan dhow boat Flipflopi, this inspirational tale demonstrates how innovation, art, and determination can transform plastic pollution into something useful. In 2017, 30,000 flip-flops and other plastic waste items, all collected from the Kenyan coast, were melted, shaped, and carved into the dhow named Flipflopi. Weighing in at 7 tons, this boat is a testament to what can happen when awareness is turned into action.
Ato and his friends Dzifa and Leslie have been selected to visit Nnoma, the bird sanctuary that Ato's father helped build before he died. Ato is convinced that his father hid something valuable on the island, meant only for him. When the trio arrives at Nnoma with other children from across West Africa, they are split into teams and given missions to help broaden their knowledge of nature. The winners will become Asafo-ambassadors of Nnoma and defenders of the Earth. But then the adults running Nnoma start behaving erratically and Ato suspects foul play. When the trio uncovers a sinister plot to exploit the sanctuary, Ato and his friends must work together to protect it-and his father's legacy.
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.
Fourteen-year-olds Abena and Faiza, girls from vastly different social worlds, cross paths in hectic Makola Market in Accra, Ghana, and forge a beautiful bond that changes the path of each of their lives.
Walking to school with Mama, Gogo or Tata is fun. But riding high on Papa's shoulders is the BEST! On my Papa's Shoulders invites young readers along on a little boy and his Papa's walk to school, where they have their own special way of saying goodbye
When twelve-year-old Onyeka discovers that she has psychokinetic powers, her mother reveals that she is Solari, part of a secret group of Nigerian mutants that trains at the Academy of the Sun.
It has been said that a proverb is a short sentence based on long experience. 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. We underestimate children, assuming they are incapable of understanding metaphor and deeper meaning. Children learn in multiple ways, but for each method by which they learn, they need engaged imagination and ignited visual sensibilities. And as adults, we underestimate ourselves when we allow our lives to be about practical matters only. Proverbs can stir our soul and spark our imagination.
Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village. There's no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals in the dark forest. Her grandmother makes herbal medicines for the villagers, but she won't talk to Simi about their family's past. Something bad must have happened, but what? To find out, Simi goes exploring. Caught in the sinking red quicksand of a forbidden lake, her extraordinary journey begins.
In Accra, Ghana, after Ato's father dies his mother sends him to spend the summer with his grandmother where he learns about his father's vibrant, complicated life, and learns to honor his past with hope for his own future.
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.
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.
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.
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. Lyrics appear in their original language and in English, along with notes on culture, a world map, and a code for song downloads and print-outs.
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.
Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it, and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to get it away from the creature, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?
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.
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.