I love a good children’s book and today I am happy to share three that I was sent by Blue Cottage Agency for review. All three are truly fabulous examples of great books to have available to children and I am thrilled to have actual physical copies that I can share in my Little Free Library.
Justice Makes a Difference- The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire by Dr Artika Tyner and Jacklyn Milton is an inspiring story about a young girl named Justice who wants to make a difference in the world. After watching all that her grandmother does to help others, she wonders what she can do as a young girl. It seems there isn’t much she can do but with the help of her grandmother, she learns that she can indeed make a difference.
Justice’s grandmother introduces her to famous and influential people like Ida B. Wells Paul Robeson, Dr. Wangari Maathai, Charles Hamilton Houston, Shirley Chisholm and Ella Baker through books that Justice is able to read. Through the words of the books and the words of her grandmother, Justice learns that she CAN indeed make a difference and plans to become a lawyer to do just that.
Who doesn’t love a book about Gumbo? Yum! Gumbo Joy by Robert P. Dixon, Jr. is a lovely book that celebrates the coming together of the West African culture and the New Orleans, Louisiana cultures. Not only does the word gumbo come from the West African central Bantu dialect, gumbo also represents beaucoup which is a French word for many. There are many cultures represented in one bowl of gumbo and Rose learns all about it in this colorful story as she cooks with her Papa.
Each page features more colorful illustrations than the page before and an additional bonus to the book is that each page features a number – highlighting counting while learning all about cooking gumbo and how cultures can blend together. Gumbo means love and when people come together to share a huge batch of gumbo there is a lot of love in that room.
This was a lovely book celebrating culture and history while telling a lovely story at the same time. Any young one will fall in love with Rose and her Papa.
Finally, our final book today is Amazing Africa: A – Z by Dr. Artika R. Tyner and Monica Habia. Want to learn more about Africa? This is the book for you. Even adults will love this book geared to the younger set. Reading this book takes the reader on an adventure and provides facts about the fast growing content of Africa. From languages to Mount Kilimanjaro, the reader will even learn some words in Swahili and Twi. The illustrations are amazingly brilliant – featuring bright colors and designs from the country.
After reading this book I came away with a better understanding of Mama Africa and what she has to offer visitors and those who call her home. What a wonderful book to share with others.
Thank you to Blue Cottage Agency and the authors for providing me with free copies of these amazing books for my honest review. These are all ones I would definitely buy for my grandson.
