Book-lovers are pretty great, aren’t they? But to create the next generation of readers, we have to start early. That’s why we’re so proud of our books for kids, young adults, and our crossover titles. We hope that one of these stories is just the spark to create a reader for life.
During these challenging times, we know that a lot of parents are now finding themselves in the role of teacher, and you may be using one of our books to supplement your curriculum. If that’s the case, first of all, thank you, and please let us know how you’re using our books. We’d love to hear from you!
If you’re interested in incorporating African history and stories into your child’s reading, we’re pleased to offer the following resources/activities. Please check back as we add new resources and roll out a dedicated page where you can access these, and future activities. We realize that education as we’ve known it has changed quite a bit in the last few weeks, and we not only want to be responsive to that, we want to provide as many resources as possible to guide us, not just through this moment, but in the future.
Ages 4-7
This series for new readers follows Lolo as she navigates her way from adventure to adventure. Each features four easy-to-read stories. In Here Comes Lolo, follow Lolo as she gets a gold star at school, longs for a cute floppy hat, finds a missing ring, and helps to rescue a dog. In Hooray for Lolo, she gets cross with her best friend, finds a favorite library book, goes to the hospital and helps to look after Baby Bongi. Fun, relatable stories for the new solo reader. Both books have been named Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections.
Hear author Niki Daly read a story from Here Comes Lolo
Download a Lolo activity sheet (PDF)
Download Lolo Teaching Guides Here Comes Lolo | Hooray for Lolo
Ages 8-12
Small Mercies by Bridget Krone
Small Mercies is centered on 11-year-old Mercy, who lives with her eccentric foster aunts in a house that’s seen some better days. When developers start eyeing the house and her Aunt Flora’s health begins to worsen, Mercy feels like her life is falling apart. And things only get worse when Mercy is accused of stealing raffle money at school. But some lessons from the past may just help Mercy change her future.
Hear author Bridget Krone read an excerpt from Small Mercies
Discussion questions for Small Mercies (PDF)
A Small Mercies crossword puzzle (PDF) Crossword answers
Ages 12 & up
Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince by Luke W. Molver
This retelling of the Shaka legend explores the rise to power of a shrewd young prince who must consolidate a new kingdom through warfare, mediation, and political alliances to defend his people against the expanding slave trade.
Teaching guide for Shaka Rising
Shaka Rising coloring page
Watch an interview with Luke where he discusses the role of comics and graphic novels in education and storytelling
King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Luke W. Molver
After the events of Shaka Rising, Shaka has fought his brother to the death for rulership of the Zulu. Now king of the southern chiefdoms, Shaka seeks to uplift his people, consolidate alliances, and expand the reach of his power, but challenges both external and internal threaten his rule.
Ages 16 & up
We Kiss Them with Rain by Futhi Ntshingila
The terrible thing that steals 14-year-old Mvelo’s song leads to startling revelations and unexpected opportunities.
Life wasn’t always this hard for Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and what happened to Mvelo is the elephant in the room, despite its growing presence.
Discussion questions for We Kiss Them with Rain
Cat Among the Pigeons: A Riotous Assembly of Unrespectable African Creatures by David Muirhead
The first release from our science-focused imprint Powers Squared, Cat Among the Pigeons by journalist/conservationist David Muirhead is a collection of short, humorous essays about the lives and habitats of the animals that call the African continent home. Mixing folklore, myth, and science David explores a wide array of animals, each with a eye on how human behavior affects these species.
Hear author David Muirhead read an excerpt from the book
The Lion’s Binding Oath and Other Stories by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf
Beneath Somalia’s recent history of war and displacement lies human stories—families, clans, lovers, neighbors, and friends, all bound together through common cultural, religious, and historical ties in this debut short story collection.
Discussion questions for The Lion’s Binding Oath
