• Taytu Betul: The Sunshine Queen (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 3 – 8 years

    Africa has produced its own formidable women; and one such women is Taytu Betul, Empress of Ethiopia and consort to Emperor Menelik II.

    In this story, we see how the Empress managed to save Ethiopia from becoming an Italian colony.

    Ethiopia is the only African country that was never colonised by the Europeans; how did that happen?

  • BLUE: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 4+ years

    Discover a world of creativity and tradition in this fascinating picture book that explores the history and cultural significance of the color blue. From a critically acclaimed author and an award-winning illustrator comes a vivid, gorgeous book for readers of all ages.

    For centuries, blue powders and dyes were some of the most sought-after materials in the world. Ancient Afghan painters ground mass quantities of sapphire rocks to use for their paints, while snails were harvested in Eurasia for the tiny amounts of blue that their bodies would release.

    And then there was indigo, which was so valuable that American plantations grew it as a cash crop on the backs of African slaves. It wasn’t until 1905, when Adolf von Baeyer created a chemical blue dye, that blue could be used for anything and everything–most notably that uniform of workers everywhere, blue jeans.

    With stunning illustrations by Caldecott Honor Artist Daniel Minter, this vibrant and fascinating picture book follows one color’s journey through time and across the world, as it becomes the blue we know today.

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