TWO of the world’s most prolific writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Enid Blyton, have written books for children that bring heart warming tales to life.
Adichie is one of the greatest minds of our time, revered for her keen intellect and feminist leadership.
The Nigerian writer has more than a dozen honorary doctorates from many of the world’s most prestigious universities and so when I heard that she had written a book for children it was obviously a must read.
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is Adichie’s debut children's book, written under the name Nwa Grace-James which means child of Grace-James in the Igbo language. It pays homage to her mother.
The book tells the story of little Chino who loves her mama’s soft silky scarf with the red circles and the blue circles. Mama tells Chino that she wraps the scarf around her head at night to keep her hair “all soft and nice”.
When Mama prepares for work Chino is worried that she might not return home, even though Mama says she will always come back. To comfort Chino, Mama lets her play with her scarf.
Chino is delighted and she and her bunny have fun with it. Grandmother even wraps the scarf around Chino’s head and she wears it while playing and even eating her vegetables, until Mama says she needs it again to cover her hair before she goes to bed.
The story is about family ties, connections, and adventure. It demonstrates how little things can keep us connected to the people we love. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is big, bold and colourful. It’s beautifully illustrated by Joelle Avelino. Adichie, who wrote several books like Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah and Purple Hibiscus, shows her versatility as a writer. The book retails for R250 and can be found at Exclusive Books.
Enid Blyton has been a household name in children’s literature for many decades. She has written more than 700 titles for children and an estimated 600 million copies of her books have been sold around the world and it is still being sold today.
Although widely condemned as a racist, a sexist and a homophobe based on the content of her books, generations of children have been enthralled by stories about The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Noddy and the Magic Faraway Tree.
Earlier this year a collection of her stories titled ‘Stories for 7 year olds’ was published. The 13 stories include titles like Pink Paint for a Pixie, Silky and the Snail, Dame Lucky’s Umbrella, Clever Old Jumbo and King Bom’s Ice Cream. The stories are short and easy to read.
Stories for 7 Year Olds starts with When the Moon Fell Down! A story about Prickles the hedgehog who grips the imagination right from the start. Here is a tiny taste of what’s to come.
One evening, when the moon was full and shone out in a cloudy sky, Prickles the Hedgehog went out to look for a beetle or two for his dinner. When he was under a chestnut tree a large chestnut fell on his back and made him jump in fright. At the same moment, the moon disappeared behind a cloud. ‘Ooh!’ cried Prickles at once. “The moon fell down on my back!. Ooh! I felt it! It's fallen out of the sky!
Stories for 7 Year Olds retails for R202 and is the perfect children’s gift or for adults to enjoy.