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A Life Like Mine tells the story of how children live around the world through four themes:  survival, development, protection, participation.  Excellent images and text suitable for upper elementary and middle school students. Truly has a global perspective. Includes many visuals and maps.

Is is published by UNICEF.

Recommended because it examines the threat to wildlife throughout the world due to habitat depletion, poaching, over hunting, illegal trade, poisoning and pollution, and what can be done to stop the destruction. Included are African species such as elephants, gorillas, cheetahs, giraffes, leopards, and rhinoceroses. Beautiful photos make this an appropriate resource for all grade levels with text appropriate for middle school students.

Citation: Gene S. Stuart. National Geographic Society: Books for World Explorers.

Recommended because it specifically focuses on the Hausa. The Hausa are an influential ethnic group in Northern Nigeria. Renowned as traders and architects, the Hausa people of West Africa developed a rich literature filled with proverbs, stories, and historical sagas. About 1,000 years ago, they began building fortress kingdoms. This book recounts the history of their kingdoms.

Citation: Koslow, Philip

Recommended because this photo/essay/picture book for young children is an improvement over the author’s earlier book A is for Africa. This story tells of the little boy Emeka, who is on his way to visit his grandmother and is seeking ideas for a gift to bring her, finally reaching her village to be told that this his visit is the best gift of all. Both the text and the pictures show more diversity and give interesting explanations for objects, but sadly, one would have no clue from any segment of this book that Nigeria is the most populous and most urban West African nation.

Citation: Onyefulu, Ifeoma. New York.

Recommended because this book is based on a real incident, this riveting play reveals the power of Yoruba culture and cautions against the hasty imposition of foreign values. It is seen as a good introduction to African thought and tradition. While it is frequently read, however, the play is seldom performed outside of Africa. Soyinka himself has directed important American productions, in Chicago in 1976 and at Lincoln Center in New York in 1987, but these productions were more admired than loved. Although respected by critics, Soyinka’s plays are challenging for Westerners to perform and to understand, and they have not been popular successes. Death and the King Horseman is considered by many to be among the best of Wole Soyinka’s plays, which number more than a dozen. In awarding Soyinka the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, the Swedish Academy drew special attention to Death and the King

Citation: Soyinka, Wole. Hill and Wang.

Recommended because this biography of the UN secretary general covers Kofi Annan’s childhood in Ghana, his college days at Macalester College in St. Paul, his rise at the United Nations, and his current challenges. Written by award-winning author John Tessitore, this volume gives shape to the life of the world’s highest ranking diplomat and most prominent black political leader. Tessitore also addresses the formation of a permanent international war crimes tribunal and the UN’s controversial financial concerns.

Citation: Tessitore, John

Recommended because it tells traditional tales of Nasrettin Hoca, Turkey’s most famous folk hero. Timeless folktales (originally Sufi teaching tales) of Nasreddin Hoca (or Hodja) – also known as Mullah Nasreddin and even as the Arabs’ Joha. Here retold in Turkish settings are tales full of charm and humor and enhanced by sweet illustrations. While this collection of 18 of the most popular stories has been prepared with children in mind, the message is there for people of all ages to appreciate alongside the beautiful illustrations which provide an insight into a very different culture from that of the West. Appropriate for K-7 students.

Citation: Walker, Barbara K. and Berson, Harold (Illustrator) Texas Tech University Press, 1991

Recommended because this is an example of Nigerian folklore. The story focuses on a tortoise’s quest for power, which brings disharmony to the world.

Citation: Achebe, Chinua

Recommended because it is often regarded as the sequel to Things Fall Apart. This novel focuses on Obi, the grandson of Okonkwo. A once promising idealist, Obi succumbs to corruption and is disgraced. Recommended for young adult readers. The story of a man whose foreign education has separated him from his African roots and made him parts of a ruling elite whose corruption he finds repugnant. More than thirty years after it was first written, this novel remains a brilliant statement on the challenges still facing African society.

Citation: Achebe, Chinua (1987)

Recommended because it explores how greed can destroy people. Having lost respect for the natural world and all that it supports, the young people of Ife are consumed by their greed and laziness and almost destroy themselves. This sequel to The Origin of Life on Earth (which won the 1993 Coretta Scott King Award for illustration) draws on ancient West African cultures to tell a story of ecological disaster and renewal. It’s a tale of paradise lost by human greed and carelessness. The descendants of the first people call the earth “dirt.” They forget the old story. Why should they work and listen to boring lessons about life? Rival gangs race to hack down the forests and grab the gold to build great towers to the sky. Rain washes away the soil, and the land is empty. Only one village on the forest’s edge remembers the story of the ancestors and is gentle with the soil. Sankofa goes into the forest for six days and learns about mother earth and is part of it. The ending is a bit abrupt–we are clearly ready for another sequel–but the storytelling is both immediate and resonant. Haitian artist Joachim has a style similar to that of Kathleen Atkins Wilson, the illustrator of the first book. These minutely detailed, naive-style paintings have the same composition of black figures in brilliantly colored woven clothes set against a rich, stylized landscape. Recommended for primary and elementary grades.

Citation: Anderson, David. Sight Productions.

Recommended because it tells a story of Joanna who loves adventures but is always getting into trouble. Everyone tells her she behaves like a boy. But why can’t girls run in races or go to the airport on a field trip? Joanna decides to prove she can do anything boys can.

Citation: Boateng, Yaw Ababio.

Recommended because this is a story of an old man Nna-nna and the children who eagerly come to listen to his wonderful stories every morning. The old man gets sick and he is sad because he has no children and there will therefore be no one to plant an Ancestor Tree in the Forest of the Ancestors when he dies. Only someone who has living children can have an Ancestor Tree planted for them. The children promise to plant an Ancestor Tree for him. After Nna-nna’s death the children convince the Village Council to plant an Ancestor Tree for Nna-nna. One of the elders says, “You children have taught us that customs have a beginning, customs can change, and sometimes, customs come to an end. We have decided to end one custom and begin another.” Apart from being a good story, The Ancestor Tree provides a corrective to the view of traditions in African societies as static. Here we see tradition evolving as is always the case.

Citation: Echewa, T. Obinkaram. New York: Dutton/Lodestar.

Recommended because this is a book of well-told traditional folktales.

Citation: Appiah, Peggy

Recommended because it is a picture book which introduces various African kingdoms and events, including several in Ghana. This informative picture book is a handsomely illustrated overview of Africa’s ancient empires. Readers learn that Egypt was once ruled by the Kushites, whose kings were shown in temple and tomb depictions as black pharaohs. There is just enough information in the text to leave children curious to learn more about these ancient empires, and the extensive bibliography points to more detailed sources.

Citation: Benson, James & Kathleen

Recommended because this tale explains how Anansi obtained the world’s stories from God. Anansi the Spider is determined to buy back the stories taken from the people and kept by the Sky God. It has lively, evocative language and compelling illustrations that extend and illuminate the narrative, although Aardema’s version may be more suited to preschool listeners.

Citation: Haley, Gail

Recommended because it tells the story of Anansi the Spider, who uses a strange moss-covered rock in the forest to trick all the other animals, until Little Bush Deer decides he needs to learn a lesson. The text is rhythmic, nicely building suspense to the inevitable conclusion. Stevens’ complementary, colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement to the text. Here, Anansi is portrayed as a large eight-legged arachnid; his expression is in his motion. The other animals are almost realistic, although with facial expressions that are characteristic of the artist’s work. This new picture book Anansi tale will be welcomed by all trickster fans.

Citation: Kimmel, Eric A.

Recommended because this picture book is a retelling of an Akan tale about the creation of the world and all its different peoples. This retelling is an adaptation of a legend that appears in Gods and Men: Myths and Legends from the World’s Religions.

Citation: Maddern, Eric

Recommended because it retells the story of how a very small tortoise outwits a boastful leopard in this traditional tale. Be aware of the Little Brown’s bold illustrations adapted from her own shadow puppets.

Citation: Souhami, Jessica. Little Brown

Recommended because it tells a stowy of Yaa. When Yaa, who loves to talk while she works, hits the Sky God one too many times with her pestle, he disappears high up into the heavens. This is a picture book.

Citation: Dee, Ruby

Recommended because its is a story of how one twin gets into trouble while the other one gets blamed.

Citation: Djoleta, Amu

Recommended because This text provides a good introduction to Ghana. The book covers the country’s culture and history.

Citation: Hintz, Martin. Children’s Press.

Recommended because this very brief (30 pages) book offers an introduction to two of Africa’s great independence leaders, including Nkrumah of Ghana.

Citation: Killingray, David

Recommended because it provides information about the legends and history of the West African Kingdoms of Oyo, Benin, and Asante. The text includes a discussion of the slave trade and how it affected the peoples of the Guinea Coast.

Citation: Mann, Kenny.

Recommended because it tells a story of how a farmer is startled when first a yam and then a dog, a tree, and a stone talk to him.

Citation: Newton-Chocolate, Deborah M.

Recommended because it tells a story of how drunken cab driver hits a girl with his car, though it doesn’t kill her. To scare him sober, the girl’s sister dresses up as a ghost to haunt him.

Citation: Sekyi, Kofi

Recommended because this kit includes a book and an audiocassette. There are nineteen songs from the Akan of Ghana and Shona of Zimbabwe. The book offers a detailed guide for teaching songs.

Citation: Adzenyah, A., Dumisani, M., Cook, J. Published by World Music Press.

Recommended because it tells a story of twin brothers who happen to see three jewel thieves and help the police to capture them.

Citation: Boateng, Yaw Ababio

Recommended because provides a highly detailed set of lesson plans on a variety of topics for teaching about Ghana in the first grade.

Citation: Bowens, M., et. al. Published by Wellesley Public Schools.

Recommended because , produced completely in Kenya but available in the U.S., this beautifully illustrated book is published in both Kiswahili and English. The production team includes four Kenyan artists in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics and African Studies at the University of Nairobi. It tells about the visit of a little girl, Mcheshi and her mother to the weekly market and the exchanges and visits that they make together. It is a welcome addition to the lifestyles category for young readers and helps them to see that there may be diverse ways of living and different settings for similar activities. The mother- daughter excursion for quotidienne needs, the enticement of stopping for refreshment, and the allure of purchasing unforeseen goods are all activities that will be familiar to children in the U.S. At the back of the book there are a couple of activity pages which present a matching game for children to play. This type of skill is one that is useful at the early education level and combining African content with a cognitive skill such as this is a much welcome addition. Highly recommended.

Citation: Kitsao, J., (1991). Jacaranda Designs.

Recommended because This novel explores tensions and loyalties in colonial Kenya.

Citation: Ngugi wa Thiong’o, (1968) Heinemann.

Recommended because of its efforts to present the extensive involvement of the peoples of East Asia in world affairs before the beginning of recorded history. Topics and materials included in this book are maps of East Asian countries in particular time periods, tables of some notable dates, figures, and events of certain time periods, and fourteen chapters on development of international system and connection in East Asia from 3500 B.C.E. to the present in a chronological order. Start by the first chapter titled “The Emergence of an International System in East Asia” since it provides information about how people in East Asian countries, especially for Chine, Japan, and Korea were involved as active participants in the international relations of the regions in ancient time.

Citation: Warren, I. Cohen. New York : Columbia University Press. $22.50.

Recommended because this guide focuses on the Maasai of Kenya, a small minority group that has received a disproportionate amount of attention in the West. Surprisingly, the authors of this work manage to avoid the stereotypical depictions so commonly found in materials on the Maasai. To begin with, the photographs are not designed as exotic representations rather they convey messages of value as illustrations of Maasai lifestyle. The Maasai are represented as living in a modern state in a real-life manner and the people are dressed in a variety of ways. The focus here is on pastoralism as a means of production that is linked to modern economic and environmental realities. Pastoralism is used to instruct students about the impact of external interventions – tourism, debt and land/resource maintenance – on real people and the earth. The lessons are interactive. Students are invited and motivated to role play in a realistic manner. They are exposed directly to causes and effects, external decision-making, specific domino examples and the results as they affect human lives and resources at various levels.

Citation: Borowski, Richard, Kisopia, Peter and Sayer, Geoff, (1993). Leeds Development Education Center 151-153 Cardigan Rd., Leeds LS6 1LJ, England.

Recommended because in this third book in the series, Mcheshi travels with her aunt from rural Kenya to the capital city of Nairobi and continues on to the coastal city of Mombasa. The story shows how traditional and modern forms of transport are used in today’s Kenya.

Citation: Kitsao, J. (1991). Jacaranda Designs.

Recommended because it explores the attractions of the East Coast of Africa. This is a well-researched, informational book on the varied and complex history of the East Coast of Africa and the kingdom of Buganda. The author has researched a variety of sources such as chronicles, histories, ancient Egyptian inscriptions (dating back to 4,000 B.C.), and archeological excavations and artifacts; an ancient Greek guidebook on the important trading centers of the time (60-100 A.D.); documents by Indian and Chinese traders and accounts by Arab, Portuguese, German, and other travelers; and oral traditions and literary compositions to piece together the history of this region. The scope of the book is broad, giving the history of the East Coast (called “Zenj” or “Zanj” by the Arabs[1]) from Bantu migrations, to the Arab domination, to European exploitation and colonization to independence. The book focuses on the region’s position as a trading center, discussing its inter-relationship to the political and economic conditions in the African interior, and throughout the world.

Citation: Mann, Kenny, (1997). New Jersey: Dillon Press.

Recommended because as it is set during the so-called Mau Mau rebellion, this novel portrays the resistance of the Kikuyu people to the British seizure and appropriation of their land. Appropriate for high school students and young adults.

Citation: Ngugi wa Thiong’o, (1964). Heinemann.

Recommended because this is a somewhat dated curriculum guide that provides information about South African history and politics. Especially useful for high school students but can be adapted for both younger and older students. Page three of the text summarizes how to carry out a one, two, or three-week curriculum (as well as a full six week course) on South Africa. The book also contains lesson plans, student hand-outs and a bibliography.

Citation: Bigelow, William. (1985). Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.

Recommended because this article reports on a study of 36 U.S. teachers and 114 teachers, administrators, and students in South Africa on their knowledge and opinions of each other’s culture. Finds a low level of knowledge among U.S. teachers. Discovers that neither U.S. nor South African teachers include teaching about the South African elections in their curriculum.

Citation: Brook, Diane et. al. (1995). Social Education, 59, 82-86.

Recommended because this book provides a general history of South Africa from early times to the late 1980s. Excellent color photographs.

Citation: Cameron, Trewhella & Spies, S. B. (2nd edition, 1995). New York, NY: Random House/Reader’s Digest.

Recommended because this article shares South African educators’ perspectives on 17 selected picture books about South Africa. Finds that they highly recommend these books. Offers their comments and cautions about the extent to which these books accurately portray life in South Africa. Offers suggestions for teachers who want to use such books to promote awareness and appreciation of the perspectives of other cultures.

Citation: Labbo, Linda & Field, Sherry. (1998). Reading Teacher, 51, 464-476.

Recommended because it is a 56-page issue consisting of 12 lesson plans and student hand-outs about apartheid in South Africa. The issue has good sections on apartheid, but the curriculum is weak on the anti-apartheid struggle and on U.S. relations with South Africa.

Citation: No Author Intercom (a journal published by Global Perspectives in Education, November 1983).

Recommended because this text introduces the reader to geographical and historical information about the country of Zimbabwe.

Citation: Cheney, Patricia (1990). Harper Collins.

Recommended because this text provides a good introduction to the farming mode of production in southern Africa prior to European contact. Also includes information on the livestock revolution. Particular attention is directed to societies in eastern Botswana, the Limpopo River valley, and the states of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. This is the fourth book in the Shuter’s History Reference Library.

Citation: Laure, Jason (1988). Changing the Land Publisher: Shuter and Shooter, Address: Gray’s Inn, 230 Church St., Pietermaritzburg, South Africa 3201 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Recommended because this text is a stunning picture book, Mufaro’s beautiful daughters, one selfish and unkind, the other sweet and generous, go before the king, who is choosing a wife. Review: Steptoe’s last offering before his untimely death in 1989 is an adaptation of a Xhosa tale from South Africa. Steptoe has changed the setting of the story from Xhosa land to old Zimbabwe and he used African Americans rather than southern Africans as the models for his illustrations. Despite these and other alterations, the story works well. As in the old tale, the focus is on sisters with opposite natures. One is kind and gentle, the other bad-tempered and selfish. Each hopes to be chosen by the king to be his wife. In addition to learning that good behavior is rewarded and ill deeds are punished, children soak up the atmosphere of rural and city life in an ancient African kingdom. The book can serve as a useful means of introducing children to the variety of architectural structures in ancient Zimbabwe. Thatched houses and massive stone structures are both featured in the illustrations. The drawings of buildings and people are detailed and stunningly realistic. Storytellers searching for a good read aloud will find this book ably fills the bill.

Citation: Steptoe, John (1987). Publisher: Lothrop.