• A Possible Future: An Anthology of the Best Nigerian Writing (1789 – 2018)

    Spanning two hundred years and multiple genres, A Possible Future uses gorgeous excerpts from over eighty literary works to showcase the inventiveness in Nigerian letters and the various zeitgeists—colonialism, despotism, Afropolitanism, postcolonialism, race and sexuality—that have defined it throughout the country’s history. The writers whose works are represented here—A. Igoni Barrett, Taiye Selasi, Gbenga Adesina, Helen Oyeyemi, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Niyi Osundare, and many more—remind the world of our fraught yet rich literary backstory and point towards the immense possibilities awaiting us in its future.

    120.00245.00
  • Voice of America

    Set in Nigeria and America, Voice of America moves from boys and girls in villages and refugee camps to the disillusionment and confusion of young married couples living in America, and back to bustling Lagos. It is the story of two countries and the frayed bonds between them.

    In ‘Waiting’, two young refugees make their way through another day, fighting for meals and hoping for a miracle that will carry them out of the camp; in ‘A Simple Case’, the boyfriend of a prostitute gets rounded up by the local police and must charm his fellow prisoners for protection and survival; and in ‘Miracle Baby’, the trials of pregnancy and mothers-in-law are laid bare in a woman’s return to her homeland.

    Written with exhilarating energy and warmth, the stories in Voice of America are full of humour, pathos and wisdom, marking the debut of an immensely talented new voice.

  • Crossing the Stream

    Ato hasn’t visited his grandmother’s house since he was seven. He’s heard the rumours that she’s a witch, and his mother has told him he must never sit on the old couch on her porch. Now here he is, on that exact couch, with a strange-looking drink his grandmother has given him, wondering if the rumours are true. What’s more, there’s a freshly dug hole in her yard that Ato suspects may be a grave meant for him.

    Meanwhile at school, Ato and his friends have entered a competition to win entry to Nnoma, the island bird sanctuary that Ato’s father helped create. But something is poisoning the community garden where their project is housed, and Ato sets out to track down the culprit. In doing so, he brings his estranged mother and grandmother back together, and begins healing the wounds left on the family by his father’s death years before.

    And that hole in the yard? It is a grave, but not for the purpose Ato feared, and its use brings a tender, celebratory ending to this deeply felt and universal story of healing and love from one of Ghana’s most admired children’s book authors.

  • Sosu’s Call (Upgraded Version)

    Age Range: 12+ years

    Sosu’s Call, won the 1999 UNESCO 1st prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance. It is listed as one of the top twelve titles of Africa’s 100 Best Books; and has been named an Honor Book for Young Children by the African Studies Association’s Children’s Africana Book Committee, as a contribution to accurate and balanced material on Africa for children.

    Beautifully illustrated, the story tells of Sosu, a young disabled boy who cannot walk. Sosu misses going to school and all the activities of the other children. His village is on a lagoon, and one day when everyone is away fishing, working in the fields or at school, he raises the alarm with his drumming, and saves the village from total destruction by the sea. His heroism is rewarded when a wheelchair is donated and at last he can go to school.

  • Faith of Our Fathers: A Call to Contend for the Christian Faith

    A glance through the Bible reveals a call for God’s people not only to believe and live the gospel but also to safeguard the gospel and ensure that it is passed on to the next generation without distortion or contamination. Indeed, the fiercest battle of the Christian faith has been the battle against error and false teachers. It is against this background that God wants you to contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints. This book will help you do that effectively.

  • Ossie’s Dream

    2014 Second Place Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature

    Ossie and his brother Nana Yaw become destitute when tragedy strikes their family. Ossie refuses to work as a farm labourer and runs away. Six-year-old Nana Yaw is taken away to live as a househelp in the city. Later, Ossie finds himself on the streets of Accra. He strives to fulfill a promise he made long ago against the odds.

    Ossie’s Dream

    25.00
  • Black Barbie (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 7 – 12 years

    Black Barbie, by London-based animator and illustrator Comfort Arthur, is the picture book adaptation of her award winning animated short film by the same name.

    Voiced by British-Ghanaian actress, television presenter and producer Ama K. Abebrese, the story grew out of the filmmaker’s own experience with the use of relaxers and skin bleaching products while growing up in the U.K.

    After debuting in 2016, Black Barbie became an international sensation, screened at various film festivals in over 50 countries and winning numerous awards, including Best Animated Film at the Ghana Movie Awards and Best Spoke Word Film at the Realtime Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria.

    With powerful moments of sadness, humor and introspection, Black Barbie explores the artist’s personal journey toward self-acceptance, empowerment and loving the skin she’s in.

    While intended to be a great catalyst for discussion for children of all background, in the words of Dr. Tyner, “This powerful book reminds every young Black woman that you are more than enough. You are the standard of beauty, with your glowing melanin skin, the intricacy of your precious locks, and the vibrancy of Black Girl Magic that fills every room that you enter.”

  • The Blue Marble (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 9 – 15 years

    Published in association with UNESCO, this originally illustrated book is the result of the first in a planned series of workshops convened by UNESCO for authors, illustrators and publishers of children’s books in African and Arabic countries. The idea of the workshops is to produce children’s books that deal with the UNESCO themes of tolerance, cultural diversity, understanding between peoples, and peace. The story, The Blue Marble, was selected for publication by the participants of the workshop held in Namibia, and collectively illustrated under the guidance of the prize-winning children’s book author and illustrator, Meshack Asare.

    The narrative tells of three young sisters, Nafula, Ajambo and Samanya whose mother has died and father been made unemployed. The girls battle through life together hawking freshly made pancakes, in an effort to raise money to pay their school fees. They live in fear of their father wanting to get married again – to a woman: who subsequently becomes their dreaded stepmother figure. Then one of the girls, Ajambo, finds a lucky marble, and things slowly begin to look up for them.

  • My Nightmare

    2018 CODE Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature Finalist
    “As the taxi drove past shacks, shops and buildings; past familiar homes and friends’ stores; past the salon where I was learning to become a hairdresser; past the spot where I sold waakye with Ima; more tears rolled down my cheeks. Zongo was a slum and was notorious for its filth, criminality, and deprivation; yet, this was where i was born. This was home for me. This was where most of my friends were. Whereas people in other parts of Accra saw filth and degeneration in Zongo, I saw love, hope, and beauty. I knew all the good people in Zongo and they were more than the ‘bad’ people I knew. I knew the honest hardworking people in Zongo, many of whom moved from the North to the South in order to build good lives for their children. People like Baba and Ima who left their birth place to come to the South so that their own children would have a good future. Where others saw Zongo as a den of thieves, I saw it as a safe haven. Nobody in this world could man handle me as long as I remained within the safety of its womb.”

    My Nightmare

    38.00
  • The Canoe’s Story (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 6 – 12 years

    “But I did not have time yet to stare and wonder. The men wrestled me out of the machine and pushed and towed me across the sand to the shade of coconut palms. The moment I touched the ground, I heard a chorus of voices saying, ‘Akwaaba. Welcome to the coast!’ It was from the group of canoes and I was rather surprised that they spoke my language. But needed not be surprised. I had forgotten that they all came from the same forest in the hitherland where I too had come from.”

    Written by Ghanaian author Meshack Asare, The Canoe’s Story is a children’s book about a tree’s journey from the forest to becoming a canoe sailing the ocean. Told from the tree’s perspective, this richly illustrated story, portrays the strong ties between man and nature.

  • The Cross Drums (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 7 – 12 years

    Selected by the International Youth Library, Munich, for the 2009 White Ravens list of outstanding new books for children and young adults

    “The drums called to each other. The drummers hailed each other and the calling and hailing got stronger and stronger. Then it got so strong that the drums and the drummers began to walk to the gates. All the children that had gathered round them got up and followed. They followed the drummers out through the gates and on to the open field.

    “Together they danced on the path, the same path that brought the men who came to throw the flames that burned their homes. They danced happily on the path across the a continued to follow the drummers.

    “They followed them to the baobab tree. And there under the tree, they came face to face with other children. They had come from the other village but they too swayed and skipped and hopped and laughed. They too were happy, just like them.”

    Another exciting story promoting peace and tolerance from the internationally renowned writer and illustrator, Meshack Asare of Ghana.

  • The Kaya-Girl

    2012 First Place Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature Finalist

    “I’m Abena,” I said in Twi.

    “I’m Faiza,” she said in a language I would soon find out was called Dagbanli.”

    An accidental meeting in Accra’s bustling Makola market makes an impact that is to affect the destinies of two extraordinary young women. For Abena, the open-minded girl from a comfortable family, the meeting is an opportunity to learn about the culture of the other girl and to appreciate the dignity that we often fail to see in the lives of the underprivileged of our country. For Faiza, the eponymous Kaya girl, the encounter with the richer girl is to provide a joyful adventure in her otherwise harsh existence and provided the inspiration that will transform her life.

    The Kaya-Girl is a wonderful story, told with warm humor, about two young and confident people from vastly different Ghanaian worlds.

     

    The Kaya-Girl

    38.00
  • The Deliverer

    The Deliverer received a Burt Award for African Literature 2010

    “Drop the stone, young man!” he screamed.

    Osei dropped the stone gently on the ground when he realised that the man had no arms and his garments were torn to shreds. He was a frightful sight to behold. With his chest still heaving up and down with rage he turned to find his friends standing around looking ashamed. “When you are born to kill an elephant, you don’t go bruising your knees chasing rats!” the strange man said.

    The style used in The Deliverer is an interesting way of capturing history in fiction. Set in the Ashanti Kingdom, read about how a handicapped boy grows up to become a hero and the deliverer of his people. High in suspense and a page turner.

    The Deliverer

    35.00
  • Gizo-Gizo: Tatsuniya daga Tafkin Zongo (Hausa, Hardcover)

    Age Range: 5 – 12 years

    Hausa language edition

    Gizo-Gizo! was awarded Best Book for young people in the 25th Children’s Africana Book Awards.

    In Hausa culture, you always begin telling a story in the same way: The storyteller says, “Ga ta nan ga ta nanku!” “I am about to begin!” And the children respond, “Tazo Mujita!” “We are all ears!”

    Using story as the primary learning, teaching and engagement tool, the Zongo Story Project strives to elevate proficiencies in oral, written, and visual forms of literacy; promote the knowledge building of local history, local culture and local contemporary concerns; and lay the crucial foundation for the acquisition of vital twenty-first century critical thinking skills. The conceptual framework for this project originated out of a larger, community-based initiative called the Zongo Water Project, whose mission is to use water as a way to improve the quality of life for the Zongo.

    Working closely with local teachers, Emily Williamson carried out a series of educational workshops at the Hassaniyya Quranic School in the summers of 2012, 2013, and 2014 to teach students about local water and environmental concerns. Employing the story as the foundational element, Emily engaged students in dialogue, shared readings, performances, writing exercises, and visual art, culminating in community drama performances and original folktales.

    The illustrations and text of this book grew directly out of the work produced in these workshops.

  • Fati and the Old Man

    Age Range: 5 – 7 years

    Who is chasing Fati? This time round little Fati is in trouble with an old man she caught stealing pito. The old man says he did not take the pito but Fati DID see him take pito that was not his…! Who is speaking the truth? Find out in this new Fati episode.

    Fati and the Old Man is sequel to the first book Fati and the Honey Tree and is based on the real life adventures of a young girl growing up in northern Ghana. It has been adapted for print by the Osu Library Fund, an organisation which promotes literacy in Ghana.

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