Anna Hibiscus

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I mostly enjoyed the ways in which the story focused on different ways of life in Africa, not merely on the privileged.

The story also reminded me more than a little of that classic folktale It Could Always Be Worse, which is fun. As a school librarian and a parent, I know how hard it is to find books that engage children who are beyond "readers" and ready to move into chapter books. I really enjoyed it, though my daughters, who devour books with super-exciting plots, would probably not read this themselves.The chapters each feel like a stand-alone story, and are filled with wonderful descriptions and details about Anna's life in Africa with her large family. They are a middle class family who commute to jobs in the city, talk on cell phones, and send text messages across the Atlantic. In Anna Hibiscus on Holiday, Anna, her mother and father, and her twin brothers Double and Trouble, attempt to take a holiday away from all of the uncles, aunties and cousins who make their compound so noisy, only to discover that many hands make light work. Here marks a new phase in my life -- Working in the Children's Department, reading kids books for fun and work. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

But that's not quite enough--and so all the big cousins come to help, and so on, and so forth, until the whole family is together again, and everyone is happy. Readers will happily follow as she goes on a seaside vacation, helps plan a party for Auntie Comfort from Canada (will she remember her Nigerian ways? In a series of episodes, Anna learns some lessons in growing up and having parents from two different cultures. While Atinuke might be seeking to universalize her protagonist's experience, it often reads like a condescension to potential Western readers.

She is a sweet girl whose life is quite different from a typical American child, especially one who grows up in the city. I think I’ll start including the Lexile measure on the chapter books I review simply because these are books where having a just-right reading level is really important.

Her books include a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Winner, a Notable Book for a Global Society, a Cybils Award Winner, and an Africana Award Winner. I’m sure we may have an early chapter book or two set in Africa (though none immediately come to mind) but I CERTAINLY can’t think of any that take place in a modern setting. This is not intended to be a full statement of all your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations.From the pictures to the stories to the writing to the tone, everything about these books makes you feel happy and content. Admittedly, I would have liked Atinuke to give her books a country and not just a vague “Africa” for where they take place. This type of writing is like poetry where it is always special to hear the author's own voice in the character of his or her creation. Atinuke's loving exploration of childhood in a contemporary West African city setting is not just beautifully realised, it is a great achievement. Anna’s mother is originally from Canada, but she fits right in with everyone and the books Anna Hibiscus and Hooray for Anna Hibiscus follow Anna’s small adventures with her family.

I especially liked the third story, Anna Hibiscus Sells Oranges, as it highlights the vast disparities in wealth to be found in Africa (and elsewhere, of course), and the importance of thinking of the impact of our decisions upon others. The author, Atinuke, creates a likeable character, a little girl children will relate to, seeing much of themselves in her stories. Full details of your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations are available in the UK from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or your Local Authority's Trading Standards Office. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF. Our Adult Fiction Books, Range includes Classics Novels, Comic Books, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Novels, General Fiction, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction and War.I was checking around to see whether anyone had found this first book and I am pleased to discover that I am late to the party and even more pleased to discover that there is another one! She amends for it by working hard the next day, bringing all the other girls oranges, and at the end, she's proud of how hard she worked. I greatly enjoyed reading Anna Habiscus, the first in a series of chapter-books devoted to the adventures of its eponymous heroine. The author's note at the end of each book says that Atinuke's "stories are a medley of traditional folklore and contemporary urban life," and that description is so apt.