Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus!; Go Well, Anna Hibiscus!; Love from Anna Hibiscus!; You’re Amazing, Anna Hibiscus! all by Atinuke and illustrated by Lauren Tobia
Do you know Anna Hibiscus? Through her enthusiasm, you are introduced to “Africa, amazing Africa,” the wisdom of Anna’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and the escapades of her younger twin brothers, Double and Trouble. Atinuke celebrates the joys of living in one house with your whole extended family in a compelling look into lives lived differently than most in the US. I can’t recommend them enough as beginning chapter books, books about ordinary middle class life in Africa, books about girls coming into their own. So, you can imagine my joy when FOUR MORE BOOKS were published about Anna!
Atinuke clearly is showing an Anna Hibiscus ready to take on more difficult challenges in this set of books — the difference in healthcare & education for rich and poor, coping with the loss of a loved one, the struggle to understand and respect others.
And now I can recommend Anna Hibiscus even more highly. Atinuke and Lauren Tobia have given us a rare treasure in this newest set of books. Do yourself a favor and read them out loud to someone you love. You too will have changed along with Anna Hibiscus when you are done.
Evanston native Jeffrey Gettleman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has served as the NY Times’ East Africa bureau chief for the past decade, and on Tuesday, July 25 he’ll visit EPL to discuss his excellent new book