Skip to main content

Display: East Africa

Display: East Africa

Ethiopia
by Ann Heinrichs
Children's Press, Nonfiction.

Delves into the geography, culture, and history of Ethiopia.

Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot
by Jane Kurtz
Pleasant Co., Fiction.

After being kidnapped and brought to the emperor's palace in Gondar, Ethiopia, twelve-year-old Saba discovers that she and her brother are part of the emperor's desperate attempt to consolidate political power in the mid-1840's.

Faraway Home
by Jane Kurtz
Illustrated by Earl B. Lewis
Harcourt, Picture Book.

Desta's father, who needs to return briefly to his Ethiopian homeland, describes what it was like for him to grow up there.

Kenya
By Sylvia McNair and Lynne Mansure
Children's Press, Nonfiction.

Describes the people, culture, history, and geography of Kenya.

Listening for Lions
by Gloria Whelan
Harper Collins, Fiction.

Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1918, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.

The Paper House
by Lois J. Peterson
Orca Book Publishers, Fiction.

"Life is hard for ten-year-old Safiyah in the Kibera slum outside Nairobi. Too poor to go to school, she makes a meager living for herself and her grandmother by selling things she finds at the garbage dump. The pages of the glossy magazines she finds at the dump are full of pictures of beautiful people doing things Safiyah can only dream about. But the magazines also inspire Safiyah to create something that may give her and Cucu the chance of a better life"

The Matatu
by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Orca Book Publishers, Picture Book.

A young boy takes a ride on the matatu bus with his grandfather for his fifth birthday, and along the way his grandfather tells him the story of why dogs chase the bus, goats run from it, and sheep pay no attention to it.

Jambo Means Hello
by Muriel L. Feelings
Illustrated by Tom Feelings
Caldecott Winner
Dial Press, Nonfiction.

A Swahili alphabet book. Presents a word, with English translation, for each of the twenty-four letters in the Swahili alphabet. Brief explanation of each word introduces an East African custom.

We All Went on Safari
by Laurie Krebs
Illustrated by Julia Cairns
Barefoot Books, Picture Book.

A counting journey through Tanzania.

A Girl Called Problem
by Katie Quirk
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Fiction.

In 1967 Tanzania, when President Nyerere urges his people to work together as one extended family, the people of Litongo move to a new village which, to some, seems cursed, but where thirteen-year-old Shida, a healer, and her female cousins are allowed to attend school. Includes glossary and author's note.

Tanzania
by Jay Heale
Photos by Winnie Wong
Marshall Cavendish, Nonfiction.

Provides comprehensive information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of Tanzania.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Review: The Library in the Woods

  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...

Review: Tumblebaby

Tumblebaby Written by Adam Rex Illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber New York : Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. Picture book. I love a funky picture book. Slumbering Tumblebaby rolls out the door and into a wonderfully meandering yarn, thwarting scoundrels and coyotes, scaling unclimbable mountains, and even building a community center in Colorado City. Adam Rex's text reads like a folksy tall tale, punctuated by funny lines and rhyming chants.  Weber's colorful, round illustrations feel a little Fauvist, a little cubist. It's a sort of "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"  but in reverse - we learn in the last few pages that, in fact, that baby was YOU! This revelation made my young son gasp, which made me choke up.  Tumblebaby is a surreal delight perfect for reading together.