Today our tour hovers in the central region of Africa and journeys all the way to its southernmost tip. Let’s begin in…
Chad
Rain School, written and illustrated by James Rumford
published in 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
The children in this village and their indomitable teacher rebuild their school building each year after the tremendous rains of rainy season wash the old one away.Â
Making mud bricks, building mud desks, drying them in the hot sun, thatching the roof, until finally, finally it’s time to take their seats and begin learning. Vibrant in both story and illustrations. Ages 4 and up.
Cameroon
The Village of Round and Square Houses, written and illustrated by Ann Grifalconi
published in 1986 by Little, Brown and Company
This Caldecott Honor winner from 1987 brings us to Tos, a small village in the Bameni Hills of Cameroon, where for time immemorial the men have lived in square houses while the women live in round ones!
Find out how this tradition came about in this account, illustrated in gorgeous pastels by Ann Grifalconi. Superb storytelling, cultural details, and an old local legend will all leave kids spellbound, ages 3 or 4 and up.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Monkey for Sale, written and illustrated by Sanna Stanley
published in 2002 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
A little girl named Luzolo is given a 5-franc coin to spend at market. Determined to barter for the best thing she sees, she sets off, passing stands of mango candy, spicy peppers, fresh roasted peanuts, handwoven baskets.
What will Luzolo purchase? How much might a monkey cost? Can Luzolo and her best friend Kiese contrive to get that monkey? It’s a cheerful, clever story revealing effortlessly a typical, lively market, the bartering system so familiar to this much of Africa, and the workaday world of Luzolo’s village. Ages 3 and up.
A Walk Through a Rain Forest: Life in the Ituri Forest of Zaire, written by David Jenike and Mark Jenike, photography by Mark Jenike
published in 1994 by Franklin Watts
This book is old enough that the name “Zaire” appears in its title, but the fascinating life of peoples whose home for thousands of years has been the rain forest of central Africa is just as compelling.
You’ll notice the cover, in keeping with its publication date, doesn’t look particularly zoopy, and it’s certainly not one of the newer creative-nonfiction styled books. But for slightly older children, the text is packed with intriguing information about the way of life of the Efe and Lese peoples and the creatures with whom they share these forests. This area of the world is scarcely covered in children’s lit. A bit lengthy. Try this with ages 7 or 8 and up, a bit at a time.
Malawi
Galimoto
One of my kids’ all time favorite books growing up, this delightful story describes the ingenuous toy cars that Malawian children, as well as kids in many other parts of Africa, make with the odd bits and bobs of metal they can scavenge. Read my full review here. It’s a gem for ages 3 and up.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon
published in 2012 by Dial Books for Young Readers
William Kamkwamba’s story has been told in longer works for older readers. This picture book brings his life in Malawi alive for young children.
Learn about the impact of drought on William’s community, the dread hunger that threatened their lives when crops would not grow through lack of rain, and of his brilliant engineering feat that transformed the village. It’s such an inspiring, hopeful story, for ages 5 and up. A lengthy afterword fills in lots of details.
Mozambique
Street Children Across the World, written by Anthony Robinson, illustrated by June Allan
published in 2014 by Frances Lincoln Books
This is a sad title to stand alone under Mozambique, but the children featured in this title live there, as well as in Zimbabwe and Guatemala. And honestly, I am pleased to see this UK title spotlighting an enormous population that exists in our world.
There are an estimated 100-150 million street children currently. Just think about that number!
What are their lives like? Why are they on the street instead of in a home with a family? The answers to these questions are extremely tragic and raw, and at times dumbfoundingly vague and strange. In his short, excellent introduction, Anthony Robinson explains why that may be the case. It’s very helpful to read that before you begin your journey through this troubling book.
Photographs, colored pencil sketches, and the children’s own words comprise the whole account which differentiates between street-living children, street-working children, and street-living families. Eye-opening and important, I’d suggest ages 8 or 9 and up.
Madagascar
Torina’s World: A Child’s Life in Madagascar, photography and text by Joni Kabana, edited by Benjamin Opsahl
published originally in 1997; this edition 2008 by Arnica Publishing, Inc.
This is such a unique and lovely book. It’s a photo essay. The photographer was guided by a little girl — whose image is on the book’s cover — through areas near the village of Marovoay, Madagascar, allowing her to gain the access and welcome needed to take these pictures.
The photographs are gorgeous, all produced in sepia tones. Accompanying them are only brief sentences of text, one telling simply what is going on in the photo, one asking how that compares to the reader’s experience. We get rides in the pousse-pousse. What do you ride in? Simple, but immensely engaging, effectively drawing children’s attention to the similarities and differences we share with people far and near. A Â short afterword updates us on Torina ten years after the project, and tells more about Madagascar. Ages 2 and up.
Zimbabwe
Gugu’s House, written and illustrated by Catherine Stock
published in 2001 by Clarion Books
In the dry grasslands of Zimbabwe, down a long, dusty path, a most extraordinary house stands, created by an extraordinary woman named Gugu. She’s Kukamba’s grandmother, and what an artist she is, crafting giant zebras and elephants, jet planes and striking patterns that burst upon the eyes of the villagers like a fantasy.
Kukamba wants to become an artist, too. She has to learn how to create, and how to persevere, and how to see, and Gugu is just the one to lead her on that journey. Brilliant story based on a real woman and her fantastical compound in Zimbabwe.
Where Are You Going, Manyoni? written and illustrated by Catherine Stock
published in 1993 by Morrow Junior Books
Catherine Stock’s gorgeous watercolors open up the world of the veld along the Limpopo River where one little girl named Manyoni lives. Her walk to school is extraordinary! You won’t want to miss tagging along with her.
A lovely read for ages 2 and up, with an Author’s Note, and a guide to the veld wildlife included.
South Africa
A South African Night
A child in Johannesburg falls asleep with visions of the plains animals dancing in her head. Beautiful work from Rachel Isadora for ages 2 and up. My full review is here.
Goal, written by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A.G. Ford
published in 2010 by Candlewick Press
Football — the beautiful game — ignites passions around the world. Not the least in this South African township, where Ajani and his buddies are elated to play with the new, federation-size, leather ball Ajani has won for being best reader in his class.
Their after-school game is full of the joy of young boys’ championship dreams except for one thing: a gang of bullies that  makes the streets unsafe. Is there any way for Ajani and his friends to outwit the bullies, keep their prime football, and become truly unbeatable?
I’m so happy to see this contemporary, urban setting, and one featuring sport to boot. Dynamic, robust illustrations. Great choice for ages 4 and up.
A Song for Jamela, written and illustrated by Niki Daly
published in 2009 by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Niki Daly has brought contemporary South Africa to vivid life with his Jamela series. In this story, Jamela is consumed with the Afro-Idols TV contest. Her grandmother, Gogo, wants her off that couch and doing something interesting so she sends her to Aunt Beauty’s hair salon to “help out” for the day.
When the entrancing Miss Bimbi Chaka Chaka, Jamela’s favorite Afro-Idol contestant, comes in the shop to have her hair done, it turns out to be a most surprising day for everyone involved! Funny and upbeat and a great urban African setting. Ages 4 and up.
The Herd Boy, written and illustrated by Niki Daly
published in 2012 by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Malusi herds his grandfather’s sheep and goats on the sunny South African veldt. It’s a big job for such a small boy, but Malusi is dependable, a quick learner, a hard worker, comfortable in solitude, and fierce in protecting his herd from many dangers. His friends dream of playing professional soccer, but Malusi has a much bigger dream.
It sounds preposterous to some, but one dignified visitor to Malusi’s village thinks otherwise. Rich cultural insights, an inspiring story beaming with hope, and a cameo appearance by Nelson Mandela. Ages 4 and up.
orange marmalade 
As always, great selection. I do have a comment/question. Most of these books portray children in African nations as living in small rural villages and in poverty. Many live in apartments or houses in large cities and in middle and upperclass stations. There is also a great lack of the great diversity of ethnicities throughout that vast continent. There are 3rd, 4th and 5th generation whites of European descent and other light skinned peoples. There are East and central Asians. There are Berbers and people of Arabic or Indian descent. And they have all made Africa their home. I have never seen children’s lit. that portrays even a small slice of this diversity. Can you enlighten us if you’ve discovered any?
That is a fabulous observation and question, Dana. I wrote a musings post that covered a few of the holes I discovered as I researched these titles (a world of swiss cheese) but did not get into the whole problem of the high percentage of books set not just in Africa, but Asia and Latin America as well, which feature only children in poverty. I originally thought I would avoid those titles…and then discovered I would not have many stories to choose from at all if I did that. It is important to see the disparities in the world, but the lack of representation of the middle class where it exists in Africa (not everywhere) and elsewhere is really unfortunate. Coming up in West Africa, the Anna Hibiscus stories set in Nigeria wonderfully hit almost all the points you’re looking for. Middle class, urban, mixed-race family. I love them. There are a number of titles featuring urban African children in my lists — I worked hard to find them — but if I recall correctly, nearly all of those are impoverished households. As far as other ethnicities who call Africa home, I did not see much in picture books. There is a wonderful middle grade novel, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, about a white child whose home is Zimbabwe. I am guessing there may be a handful of other novels likewise showcasing some diversity that way. I found a couple of stories set in Guatemala that feature a Chinese family so those are coming up when we cross the Atlantic. Anyhow, basically what I found backs up what you’re seeing. Thanks for your insightful comment!
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