Book of the Month: Children's Books

It's been some time since we reviewed a book on our blog, not for lack of good and appropriate literature to comment on.  But to re-kick off the BOTM posts, I thought I'd post something for our younger readers.  And when I say "readers," I use that term loosely (most will likely need this blog read TO them).  Here goes, Maggie's favorite African books.  There are many good ones, so we just chose two for the time being.

1.  Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears.
This book is a classic that I still remember from my own childhood days.  It's about the story of a mosquito who annoys an iguana and sets off a series of events that ultimately results in the death of an owl baby.  The animals of the jungle must then get together and decide who is to blame.  The book is beautifully illustrated, and won a Caldecott medal for its efforts.  The story is fast paced and has lots of fun onamonapia phrases that are associated with each animal.  Finally, on the last page of the book, the mosquito meets with its appropriate end.  Maggie likes to demonstrate on the last page with a great smack and a "kapow!"

2.  We All Went on Safari
This book was a gift to Maggie when she was born, from Aunt Alyssa.  It's technically a "journey" through Tanzania, not Kenya, but close enough.  Also beautifully illustrated, this book features a group of Maasai children as they go on safari and encounter various animals.  The pages have the numbers 1-10 in both English and Swahili, and there is an additional section at the back that talks about the Maasai people and gives the names of the animals in the book in both English and Swahili.  Eric and I spent more time on those pages than Maggie!


We'll try to post some more recommended kids' books in the month to come, but if you can't wait and need more good African children's books NOW, check out:  Jambo Means Hello, Moja Means One, and Elisabeti's Doll.