Tag Archives: children’s literature

Sulwe

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Sulwe 

Author: Lupita Nyong’o Illustrator: Vashti Harrison

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Number of pages: 48

Type of Book: Fiction; African, Magical Realism, Folktale 

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/sulwe-by-lupita-nyongo-and-vashti-harrison/; https://www.amazon.com/Sulwe-Lupita-Nyongo/dp/1534425365

Price: N4000; $11.78

MY SUMMARY

Little Sulwe’s skin is as dark as midnight. She is the darkest member of her family and the darkest child in school. This makes her very sad. Slew desperately wants to be bright and beautiful like her sister Mich, whose skin is the colour of high noon. She wants to be light-skinned so she’ll be loved and accepted and make new friends.

So, Sulwe tries to lighten her skin. She eats bright foods, tries to rub her skin off, and even applies her mum’s makeup but nothing works. Poor Sulwe stays sad until one night, she goes on a magical journey that shows her that she’s beautiful, just the way she is. 

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP:The art. I am a lover of Vashti Harrison’s art and as usual, she outdid herself. She brought Sulwe to life with vibrant illustrations. 

I love the story-within-a-story structure. The folktale within the story adds a magical element to the story and makes it even more entertaining.

I like that there are so many teaching opportunities in this story. My kids and I had a whole discussion about the way God answers prayers; because they wanted to know why God didn’t answer Sulwe’s prayer.  

I love the premise of the story. In Lupita’s words, “Sulwe holds up a mirror for dark-skinned children.” I love that Sulwe’s story deals with the universal human need to be loved and accepted while staying true to one’s self in a very child-friendly manner. 

It’s a heartwarming story, it builds confidence and it’s quite entertaining. I loved every bit of it, my boys loved it too. We’ve read it countless times and we highly recommend it. 

DOWN: None.

RATING

* * * * *

TRIVIA

  1. Sulwe is Academy Award-Winning Actress, Lupita Nyongo’s, debut children’s book. 
  2. Like Sulwe, Lupita was teased and taunted in school because of her dark skin. 

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: https://www.amazon.com/Sulwe-Lupita-Nyongo/dp/1534425365  (Click on the look inside feature on the amazon website)
  2. Download some fun exercises here: https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/5367491/9781534425361_cg_sulwe%20curriculum%20guide.pdf

CHALLENGE: Sulwe

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

Read the excerpt and answer the questions below:

  1. List 4 things Sulwe did to become light-skinned (4 – 6 year olds)
  2. Write a 100-word essay. Topic: What does real beauty mean to you? (7 – 8 year olds)

OR

3. Sulwe wants to be light-skinned, so that she can make friends like her light-skinned sister. If Sulwe were your sister, what advice would you give her? (7 – 8 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, October 4th2020.

Next Book of the Week:

TOO SMALL TOLA by Atinuke

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Children of Blood and Bone

AGES 13+, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Publisher: Ouida Books (2018) / Henry Holt and Co (BYR) (2018)

Number of pages: 531; 544

Type of Book: Adventure, African, African Mythology, Medieval, Fantasy,Fiction, Suspense/Thriller

Genre: YA (Young Adult)

Age: 13+

Available here: https://thebookmarketng.com/product/children-of-blood-and-bone/; https://www.amazon.com/Children-Blood-Bone-Legacy-Orisha/dp/1250170974

Price: N4500; $12.73

MY SUMMARY

It starts with a quest, because all books with elements of magic, mystery and mythology must have quests. 

Zelie, her brother and their enemy-turned-friend, princess Amari go on a quest to bring magic back to Orïsha. Amari’s father, the tyrannical King of Orïsha, believes that magic is the source of all evil so he banishes magic. He destroys all the relics and temples of the gods and kills all the magi leaving the diviners. The diviners are children of magi who haven’t become magi and therefore have no magical powers. Years later, a scroll appears which awakens the magic in diviners. 

The quest: Zelie and her crew must find and take three sacred items – the scroll, a dagger and a sunstone – to a sacred (disappearing) island that appears only during the summer solstice. There, they must recite the incantations on the scroll in the temple of the gods during the solstice or lose the chance to bring back magic to Orïsha forever. 

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Everything! I loved absolutely everything about this book: the writing style, the imagery, the characters, the actual story, the world building, everything. I loved reading it, I know I’ll read it again, and I can’t wait to read Book 2 (it’s a trilogy by the way)! 

It’s a masterpiece. What I loved about it?

A. West African Mythology. I loved reading Britannica as a child because it showed me the myths and legends of different parts of the world, Roman and Greek ones, etc. This book was my first foray into West African Mythology especially the Orïsha, so it hit all the right buttons! I loved learning about the gods of Yoruba mythology: Ori, Oya, Sango, Yemoja, Ogun! I loved it so much that I now want to do a course on West African Mythology because I want to learn and write about Igbo gods too. I loved the fact that it was set in Nigeria and i loved the use of a lot of Yoruba (which I can’t understand by the way).

B. The highlight of the book for me: The Setting!! The World building: the ten Maji clans and their different powers and deities; the animals (the leoponaries and panthernaires); Ibeji, the desert city, where the slaves fight to the death for the pleasure of nobles in an arena the size of the Roman Colosseum filled with (wait for it) water! Note that water typically goes for one gold piece per cup, a small fortune for the inhabitants of the city. Imagining Chândomblé, the lost temple of the sacred sentaros, the protectors of magic, almost brought tears to my eyes. Did I mention that I am a lover of medieval movies? I am. So it was so easy to imagine every little scene in this book. 

C. The characters are relatable. The most fulfilling emotional arc was Amari’s. She went from a timid, scared-of-her-own-shadow little princess to an amazon at the end. 

One thing is sure, Adeyemi is a wonderful storyteller and she had me enthralled from the first page until I finished the book, five days later. (This kids-at-home business won’t let me shine)

Here’s when we first get a taste of the power of magic in the hands of diviners. 

Though Binta resists, Kaea pushes the scroll into her grip.

Light explodes from Binta’s hand.

It coats the throne room in its magnificence—brilliant golds, shining purples, sparkling blues. The light arcs and shimmers as it cascades, a never-ending stream erupting from Binta’s palm.

“Skies,” I gasp, terror at war with the awe bubbling inside my chest.

Magic.

Such imagery!!!

If I had to distil the highlights into three words, they would be Mythology, Magic, Medieval. 

I strongly strongly recommend this book to everyone particularly lovers of history, mythology, and Nnedi Okoroafor’s books.

Note that this is a multiple award winning book and a New York Times Bestseller.

The story is phenomenal. It is an epic. Definitely my best book of this year.

DOWN: The only down (which wasn’t that serious really) was the fact that it was a bit hard to differentiate between the voices of the two female characters (i.e. Zelie and Amari). Many times, they basically sounded the same.

RATING

5 Stars

TRIVIA

Read an excerpt here: https://read.macmillan.com/mcpg/childrenofbloodandbone-excerpt3/

CHALLENGE: Children of Blood and Bone 

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

1.    What is Orisha? Write a short 1000-word essay 

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 13-16 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.   

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, September 28th 2020. 

Next Book of the Week: 

SULWE by Lupita Nyong’o

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The Red Transistor Radio

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February is Millennium Development Goals Month

Title: The Red Transistor Radio

Author: Fatima Akilu

Publisher: Cassava Republic Press

Number of pages: 32

Type of Book: Fiction; Educational

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: http://www.cassavarepublic.biz/collections/childrens-books/products/the-red-transistor-radio

Price: N1200

MY SUMMARY

Khalida’s mummy had an old red transistor radio that she played ALL the time and Khalida was tired of hearing that radio. Finally, one day, she burst out,

“Mama … Why do you listen to this radio all day? It’s very annoying!”

Her aunty gave her the weirdest answer ever. “… that radio is special … it has made many things happen, including you, Khalida”

Khalida didn’t think much of her aunt’s response until she was given an assignment in school to write a story about something unusual that happened to her.

So Khalida asked her parents how the radio made her. Read the book to find out how the red transistor radio made Khalida and how its story made her famous!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It emphasizes the Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health. It takes an important and very adult subject and breaks into tiny nuggets, making it easy for young readers to digest. It also does this in the most peculiar yet fun way, using the story of a radio. Young readers learn how to prevent maternal mortality and improve maternal health by making sure pregnant women frequent antenatal clinics, eat balanced diets and have their babies in hospitals.

DOWN: None.

RATING

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

TRIVIA

  1. The subject of this story is the Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health.

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0103/7312/files/Excerpt_for_websitePages_from_Red_Transistor_01-32_tp.pdf?3624
  2. Learn more about the 7th Millennium Development Goal here: https://www.unicef.org/mdg/files/childfriendlymdgs_edited.pdf

 CHALLENGE: The Red Transistor Radio

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

Read the story above and answer the questions below:

  1. Draw a girl in a Fulani outfit (4 – 6 year olds)
  1. List the Millennium Development Goals? (7 – 8 year olds)

OR

  1. Draw a picture showing 3 things pregnant women can do to prevent maternal mortality. (7 – 8 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Thursday, February 16th 2017.

Next Book of the Week:

NGOZI COMES TO TOWN by Fatima Akilu

 

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photo credit: cassavarepublic.biz

 

 

 

Top Three Libraries for Kids (plus 1)

AGES 0 - 4, AGES 4 - 8, AGES 8 - 12, NEWS/EVENTS, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

*in no particular order

  1. LIAM AND NÖEL BOOKCLUB

photo credit: guildhurstschool.com 

ADDRESS:  1a Victoria Arobieke Street, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos and Suite 1, 91 & 106 Ikota Shopping Complex, V.G.C. Lagos

CONTACT PHONE NO: 07066260892; 0816145247; 08109618502

EMAIL: info@liam&noel.com

WEBSITE: None

BOOK CLUB: Yes

BOOK RELATED EVENTS FOR CHILDREN: Yes

LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTION: 3 months: N15000; 6 months: N30,000; 1year: N60,000

OPENING HOURS: MON – SAT: 9:30am to 6pm

OUR REVIEW: They have tons of books, especially fiction, for kids 0 – 12. The library is quiet, cool and cosy, just perfect for reading!

  1. ZACCHEUS ONUMBA DIBIAEZUE MEMORIAL LIBRARIES (ZODML) 

kids-header-imagephoto credit: zodml.org

ADDRESS: 196 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

CONTACT PHONE NO: 0908 631 4898

EMAIL: info@zodml.org

WEBSITE: http://www.zodml.org/kids

BOOK CLUB: No

BOOK RELATED EVENTS FOR CHILDREN: Yes

LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTION: It’s freeeee!! Weeeee!!

OPENING HOURS: MON – FR1: 9:00am to 6pm; SAT: 9am to 2 pm

OUR REVIEW: We love this library because it has quite an extensive booklist for kids of all ages. But best of all, it’s free. So all kids from all schools and all walks of life can use this library!!

  1. THE BOOKWORM CAFÉ (JUST FOR KIDS)

the-bookworm-cafe-logophoto credit: thebookwormcafe.com

ADDRESS: No physical address

CONTACT PHONE NO: 08023388640

EMAIL: info@thebookwormcafe.com

WEBSITE: http://thebookwormcafe.com

BOOK CLUB: Yes

BOOK RELATED EVENTS FOR CHILDREN: No

LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTION: Monthly: N5000

OPENING HOURS: 24 hours. It’s an online library

OUR REVIEW: It’s an online library! So if you live in Lagos, this means you can borrow books without leaving your house with three simple steps. 1. Go to the Bookshelf Page on the website 2. Decide on a couple of books to read 3. Send an email to the address above and they’ll deliver the books to you!! (for a N500 fee) They have great picture books and board books for babies and toddlers, basically kids age 0 – 4 (including international bestsellers). Better still, they have books for sale too!

And …. Finally,

Plus 1.  L’INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DU NIGERIA (CHILDREN’S CORNER)

 dscn0546-630x310

photo credit: institutfrancais-nigeria.com

ADDRESS: 52 Libreville Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, beside Mr. Biggs, Wuse 2, Abuja.

CONTACT PHONE NO: 0805 947 8456; 0806 945 4020

EMAIL: contact@institutfr-nigeria.org

WEBSITE: http://www.institutfrancais-nigeria.com/category/abuja/library/children-corner/

BOOK CLUB: No

BOOK RELATED EVENTS FOR CHILDREN: Yes

LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTION: Monthly: N3000 for students, N5,000 for the general public

OPENING HOURS: MON – SAT: 9:30am to 6pm

OUR REVIEW: Our go-to store for French books for kids! They have a wide range of fiction, non-fiction books, comics and magazines for kids in French! They have French language learning books too!

Do you know any libraries that should make this list? Email us at ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

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Preye and the Sea of Plastic

AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Title: Preye and the Sea of Plastic

Author: Fatima Akilu

Publisher: Cassava Republic Press

Number of pages: 32

Type of Book: Fiction; Educational

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: http://www.cassavarepublic.biz/products/preye-and-the-sea-of-plastic

Price: N1200

MY SUMMARY

Preye is plagued by the plastic bags strewn all over his neighbourhood; on the playground, in the farms and markets, on the roads, everywhere. One day, he decides to take matters into his own hands and he starts an action group made up of kids! This group storms the District Head’s Office and then the local TV station to get adults to help their cause. Eventually, they make a film/documentary about the harmful effects of the use of plastic bags on the environment. This film makes the kids popular and soon enough, they are giving speeches in different towns and having meetings with the president! Better still, they convince market sellers to use paper bags and raffia baskets in place of plastic bags! Read the book to find out what Preye (maybe) plans to do next!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It shows kids that they can make a difference in the world, irrespective of their age. It shows also the advantages of team work (the kids in the action group had to split into 3 groups of 5 to conduct research, film and conduct interviews for their film (documentary)). Most importantly, it shows young readers the importance of keeping our environment safe and clean for man and animals and that they are just as responsible for it as the adults are!

DOWN: None. Well, I wish it showed kids simple practical ways to keep the environment clean e.g. by putting rubbish in bins instead of dumping them on the road, turning some to compost, etc. For kid friendly tips on saving the environment, read our next book of the week, “Help Your Parents Save the Planet”. Subscribe now and get it in your mail!

RATING

4 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. The subject of this story is the Millennium Development Goal of Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0103/7312/files/Excerpt_for_website_Pages_from_Preye_2011.pdf?3621
  2. Learn more about the Millennium Development Goals here: https://www.unicef.org/mdg/files/childfriendlymdgs_edited.pdf

 

CHALLENGE: Preye and the Sea of Plastic

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

Read the story above and answer the questions below:

  1. List 3 simple things you can do to keep your environment clean (4 – 6 year olds)
  1. List the Millennium Development Goals? (7 – 8 year olds)

OR

  1. Do something to help your community and write a 100-word essay about it (7 – 8 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 8 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Friday, February 3rd 2017.

Next Book of the Week:

AALIYAH LEARNS A NEW DANCE by Fatima Akilu

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photo credit: cassavarepublic.biz

 

A Fun ABC

AGES 0 - 4, AGES 4 - 8, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

abc_uk_cover_front_large

Title: A FUN ABC

Author: Sade Fadipe

Publisher: Cassava Republic Press

Number of pages: 32

Type of Book: Fiction; Rhyme

Age: 0 – 4; 4 -5

Available here: http://www.cassavarepublic.biz/products/a-fun-abc; https://www.amazon.com/Fun-ABC-Sade-Fadipe/dp/1911115154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480565078&sr=8-1&keywords=a+fun+abc+sade+fadipe

Price: N1,000; $4:93

MY SUMMARY

This book tells the story of a little girl Adanah who visits her grandfather in the village while on break from school. Adanah drives through the country side with her dad, buying fruits and taking pictures of the sights: drummers, dancers, cattle and cattle rearers. At her granddad’s she fetches water at the pump, plays in the rain, makes crowns out of hay and listens to stories by Auntie Sumbo. This ABC book is one with a difference. Written for the Nigerian child or the child who wishes to learn about Nigeria, it uses a great story, vibrant illustrations, rhyme and visual puzzles to introduce the letters of the alphabet. This is the best ABC book – African and otherwise – I’ve read ever and I’ve read my fair share of ABC books and reviewed a few too. See here and here.  Read the book to learn about the alphabets as well as Adanah’s holiday adventure.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: This ABC book has so many highlights.

  • It reinforces letter identification by showing lots of objects starting with the same letter on each page. For example, the first page, introducing the letter ‘A’ has Aero plane, Apple, Avocado, a map of Africa.
  • It uses familiar objects which are seen and/or used by little Nigerian children every day!
  • Adanah also takes part in activities which the average Nigerian children is familiar with such as sweeping, fetching water, playing in the rain, sleeping under a mosquito net, and listening to stories told by an older aunt or uncle or grandparent.
  • It uses a story – and a good one too- to teach the alphabets. It’s not just another ABC book filled with disconnected words and objects.
  • Shedrach Ayalomeh’s illustrations brought the words in the book to life. They are vibrant, spread generously across the book and children will find them delightful. Adults will love them too. They reminded me so much of my childhood.
  • Another highlight was the use of rhyme.

I love love love this book and I recommend for Nigerian babies, toddlers and little kids as well as lovers of Nigeria.

DOWN: None.

RATING

5 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. Sade Fadipe is a primary school teacher! It’s little wonder the book is such a treat!!

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  • Try to find all the objects starting with the same letter. Letter B has over 10 objects: Basket, Bucket, Broom, Ball, Bed, Balloon, Blanket, Bear, Bracelets, Bulb, Blocks, Books!

CHALLENGE: A FUN ABC

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. How many objects starting with the letter ‘H’ are featured on page 8 of the book. (2 -3 year olds)
  2. Identify and name three objects starting with the letter ‘H’, featured on page 8 of the book. (4 – 5 year olds)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 2 – 5 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Thursday, December 7th 2016.

Next Book of the Week:

HANSEL AND GRETEL by The Brothers Grimm

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The Cat in the Hat

AGES 0 - 4, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: The Cat in the Hat

Author: Dr. Seuss

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Number of pages: 61

Type of Book: Fiction; Classic (First published in 1957)

Age: 2 – 6

Buy it here: https://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-the-cat-in-the-hat-and-other-dr.-seuss-favorites-14699.html;  http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Hat-Dr-Seuss/dp/039480001X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458514344&sr=1-1&keywords=cat+in+the+hat

Price: N4890; $5.00

MY SUMMARY

An unnamed boy, his sister Sally and their pet fish (Fish) are sitting at home on a cold wet day, staring out the window, bored to their teeth when suddenly, with a loud noise, a tall, human-sized cat (Cat) with a white and red-stripped hat and a red bow tie, appears before them. Cat immediately starts showing the kids some tricks, promising to make the day fun but Fish is not deceived. Fish repeatedly tells the kids to show Cat the door, he knows Mother won’t approve of Cat’s presence. But the kids are intrigued by Cat and they don’t. So with his companions, Thing One and Thing Two, Cat totally wrecks the kids’ home. Then Fish spies Mother walking home …

Read the book to find out how Cat made the day fun for Sally and her brother and whether or not they cleaned Cat’s mess up before Mother got to the door.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: This book is one of the best selling Dr. Seuss Books. It’s very easy to read, very funny and the illustrations are super.

DOWN:  None

RATING

5 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. Cat’s favourite thing in the world. Fun!
  2. This book was first published in 1957!

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

CHALLENGE: Cat in the Hat

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. What’s the hidden picture?* (5-6 year olds)

Colour the boxes as follows:

Blue: 1,10,11,20,21,30,81,90-92,99,100

Black: 41,42,49-52,54,57,59-61,65,66,70,71,80,82,89,93,98

Pink: 73,78,84-87

Red: 12-19,31-40

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80.
81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90.
91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100.

*http://mrsthomsonrokx.blogspot.com.ng

OR

  1. Colour the image from the link below (2-4 year olds)

http://www.seussville.com/activities/CAT_ColorSweep_0.pdf

 

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 2 – 6 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, March 15th 2015.

Next Book of the Week:

FOX IN SOCKS by Dr. Seuss

 

The Witches

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: The Witches

Author: Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin

Number of pages: 224

Type of Book: Classic, Fiction

Age: 8+

Buy it here: http://product.chelisbookazine.com/product/the-witches/ ;

http://www.amazon.com/Witches-Roald-Dahl/dp/014241011X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458518772&sr=1-3&keywords=the+witches; free download here: https://vk.com/doc14694589_297706035?hash=cec1ba58b5287a43eb&dl=05d2f01cc85afbead4

Price: N1580; $4.24

MY SUMMARY

Boy, the narrator lives with his grandmother. An ordinary boy living an ordinary life until his grandmother tells him stories about witches; then he meets the first witch and then he stumbles upon the annual meeting of ALL the witches in England!! Even worse, he finds out that the witches plan to do away with ALL the children in England by turning them into mice!!! Read the book to find out the truly exciting way that Boy foils the witches’ plan and pays them back for turning him into a mouse!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP:  Everything!!! Everything!!!

DOWN:  None.

RATING

5 Stars 

TRIVIA

  1. A witch is always …………..? A woman
  2. What do the Witches hate more than anything in the world? Children.
  3. The grand plan of the Grand High Witch? To turn all the children in England into mice!
  4. How did she plan to do this? Using Formula 86 Delayed Action Mouse-Maker
  5. What do the witches do to ‘Boy’ the narrator? They turn him into a mouse!
  6. The tale of the children who vanished because of witches? RH was lured away by a tall lady wearing gloves; SC took an apple from a lady and the very next day, she appeared in a painting in her home; BS turned into a chicken and laid eggs; H turned into stone and became an umbrella holder and L turned into a talking porpoise while was swimming.

Read the book here: https://vk.com/doc14694589_297706035?hash=cec1ba58b5287a43eb&dl=05d2f01cc85afbead4

Visit here: http://www.roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/stories/1980s/the-witches

CHALLENGE: The Witches

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Imagine waking up and realizing that you’ve become a mouse, then write a short 600-word story describing life as a mouse (the things you can see, feel, hear, taste, smell)

OR

  1. Draw a picture of the Dining room using the details below:

All over the Dining-Room women were screaming and strong men were turning white in the face and shouting, “It’s crazy! This can’t happen! Let’s get the heck out of here quick!” Waiters were attacking the mice with chairs and wine-bottles and anything else that came to hand. I saw a chef in a tall white hat rushing out from the kitchen brandishing a frying-pan, and another one just behind him was wielding a carving-knife above his head, and everyone was yelling, “Mice! Mice! Mice! We must get rid of the mice!” Only the children in the room were really enjoying it. They all seemed to know instinctively that something good was going on right there in front of them, and they were clapping and cheering and laughing like mad.

OR

  1. Write a 100-word short poem about a mouse

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, March 27th 2016.

Next Book of the Week:

THE BFG: A SET OF PLAYS by Roald Dahl

 

 

 

 

 

The 2015 Nigeria LNG Prize For Literature

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It was a dark day for Children’s literature in October 2015 when the Nigeria LNG issued a press release stating that there will be no winner for this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature because all the entries were not worthy of the prize.

The Nigeria LNG prize for literature is one of Africa’s most prestigious literary prizes. Established in 2004, it awards a whopping $100,000 (over N25 million) to one Nigerian writer every year. The prize rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.

This year, 2015, was to be dedicated to children’s literature. Unfortunately, none of the 109 entries submitted for the prize scaled through, in fact, 89 of the 109 entries did not meet the preliminary requirements. According to the spokesperson for Nigeria LNG, entries were required to be creative works with aesthetic and social values for children.

However, he further stated that the prize money would be devoted to conducting a workshop on writing for children; a workshop designed to increase the overall quality of children’s literature in Nigeria.

The creative writing workshop took place from the 9th to the 11th of December at Eko Hotel, Lagos. The workshop participants were the applicants whose entries made it past the first stage of the screening process for the prize. They spent three days and nights at Eko Hotel under the tutelage of Professor Akachi Ezeigbo, Professor of English Language, Dr. Helen Limon, award-winning writer and teacher of Writing for Children at Newcastle University and National Center for Children’s Books, UK and Professor Kim Reynolds, Professor of Children’s Literature of the Newcastle University, UK and past President of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature.

Proceedings of the workshop will be collated and published for the benefit of those who were unable to attend.

It was a huge step in the right direction.. So we thank the NLNG for making this possible and hope that they make this an annual occurrence.

Hopefully, in 2019, there will be so many good entries that the judges will have a tough time deciding on a winner.