Five Books You Must Read to Your Children

Deep in the Sahara By Kelly Cunnane. Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi. 

A beautifully illustrated tale about Mauritania that seeks to demystify the veil for the youngest among us. From the blurb:

[blockquote source=”Author website”]Lalla lives in the Muslim country of Mauritania, and more than anything, she wants to wear a malafa, the colorful cloth Mauritanian women, like her mama and big sister, wear to cover their heads and clothes in public. But it is not until Lalla realizes that a malafa is not just worn to show a woman’s beauty and mystery or to honor tradition—a malafa for faith—that Lalla’s mother agrees to slip a long cloth as blue as the ink in the Koran over Lalla’s head, under her arm, and round and round her body. Then together, they pray. [/blockquote].

Chipo and the Bird on the Hill written by Meshack Asare

Veteran children’s book author delivered this now classic 30 years ago. It’s timeless and a wonderful introduction to a bit of important history. In an interview, Asare described what bought him to childrens books and the importance for children having characters and stories that they can identify with:

[blockquote source=”World Reader”]“After I did the illustrations for this book, I realized I didn’t have [these kinds of books] as a child,” Meshack continued, recalling how many of the elementary learn-to-read materials left him wanting more. “These books had little stories and poems, Jack and Jill fetching water and that sort of thing. They were influential in the sense that they showed me what other children did, how they lived, and what kinds of things were around them. But I could not connect them to my own environment or experience. I thought it would be great to have a book about things that I, too, could recognize.”[/blockquote]

Chike and the River written by Chinua Achebe

Originally published in 1966 (and re-published in 2011 for a new western audience) this book is one of four Achebe penned for his younger fans. In this book, Achebe, the grandfather of African literature nods to his classic Things Fall Apart.  A reviewer writes:

[blockquote source=”Blog Critics”]As in Things Fall Apart, although without interspersing any of the Ibo words and phrases, Achebe uses a prose style reminiscent of fable and the primitive folk tale. He includes traditional stories like that of the quarrel between the bird and the river. He includes proverbs: “little drops of water make the mighty ocean.” He includes metaphoric adages on how to live: “Why should we live on the River Niger and wash our hands with spittle.” It is a style rich with the wisdom of a continent and its culture, and it is told in a style likely to capture the imagination of the younger reader. It is a style echoed in the Edel Rodriguez’ primitive folksy illustrations for the edition. Chike and the River is a book that can both teach youngsters about other cultures and entertain them while doing it.[/blockquote]

Animals/Izalwanyana Written and Illustrated by Xanele Puren

Just one of a collection of biligual educational books, this simple set with beautiful illustration’s does what the best kinds of infant learning books do best–provide colorful pictures and simple starter words for an early learner. Puren is a young South African and self-described illustrator and social entrepreneur whose books are distributed in township crèches via her NGO See-Saw-Do. Explaining the mission of the organization, Puren writes:

[blockquote source=”Seesawdo.com”]See-Saw-Do is a social enterprise founded on the transformative power of creativity and love. We are driven by a heartfelt conviction that all children, regardless of their place of birth, should be given equal opportunities and environments in which to grow and learn.

See-Saw-Do focuses on the physical transformation of the spaces in which children develop, as well as on the production and distribution of mother-tongue reading material to these facilities. We strongly believe in the formative power of images and the claim of a community to negotiate its own visual environment. It is from this perspective that See-Saw-Do draws beneficiaries into the conceptualising and designing process, not merely as recipients but as close partners.[/blockquote]

Mandela written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

You may have seen the powerful image of Neslon Mandela on the cover of a December, 2013 issue of The New Yorker . What you may not know is that the cover was created by artist Kadir Nelson who also released an important picture book biography of this great mans life around the same time.  Of the handful of children’s books written about Madiba, this one stands out not just for the full facial image of this world leader, but also the powerful pictures in the book. In an interview talking about the insta-classic cover  Kadir Nelson says:

[blockquote source=”The New Yorker”]“From looking at the photos of the time, I could see that the energy around him was very strong and that his peers were very much with and behind him. He was clearly a leader. I wanted to make a simple and bold statement about Mandela and his life as a freedom fighter. The raised fist and the simple, stark palette reminded me of posters and anti-apartheid imagery of the nineteen-eighties. [This painting] is a tribute to the struggle for freedom from all forms of discrimination, and Nelson’s very prominent role as a leader in the anti-apartheid movement. Being an artist is kind of like being an actor. So as I painted Nelson’s portrait, I felt empowered and proud like the man himself. He has long been a personal hero of mine. I saw him speak shortly after he was released from prison, in 1990. It was both an honor and a privilege to paint his portrait and tell his story.”[/blockquote]