Tag Archives: farafina tuuti

Half Hour Hara is here for Children’s Day!

ARTICLES, NEWS/EVENTS, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Book Trailer: Share Me!

Children’s Day is almost here!

Have you bought gifts for all the children in your life: daughters and sons, goddaughters and sons, nieces and nephews?

How about School libraries? Orphanages? Children’s Church?

Half Hour Hara is here! Available at N1000 before Children’s Day!

Features:

English and Cognitive Development

– An exciting story

– Spot the Difference Puzzle

– Crossword puzzle

Math

– Counting by 5s (digital clock)

– Telling the time (analog clock)

More Activities

-Recipes for the fried snacks and the eggless cake are available on my website

Available at Farafina Books at N1000 only (before Children’s Day)

Buy Now!!

While you’re here:

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Half Hour Hara is here!!

AGES 4 - 8, ARTICLES, NEWS/EVENTS, Writing Picture Books Course, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The first book in the Half Hour Hara series – The Case of the Broken Eggs – is about to hit bookstores near you!

The Half Hour Hara series is a picture book series for 5 to 7-year-old readers, set in Nigeria. It features Hara, a curious 6-year-old-girl who races against time in an exciting half hour countdown as she tries to avoid getting into trouble.

Read the blurb for Book One below.

Each book comes with activity pages: puzzles, spot-the-difference and more.

Available here or at http://www.farafinabooks.com

Giveaway coming soon. Watch this space…

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30 Tips for Writing Delightful Children’s Books Day 3

ARTICLES, LITERARY RAMBLES, Writing Picture Books Course, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WRITING CHILDREN’S BOOKS TIP #3: KNOW YOUR ONIONS, well, GENRES

Let’s talk about genres. Children’s books have been divided into so many genres and categories that it is so hard to keep up. But here are the major ones.

NB: This post features children’s books by Nigerian authors.

GENRES*

Picture Books

Heavily illustrated; ages 3 – 8; 100 – 1000 words

Greatest Animal in the Jungle by Sope Martins

Juba and the Fireball by Yejide Kilanko

Mayowa and the Masquerades by Lola Shoneyin

Early Chapter Books

Illustrated; ages 4/5 – 8; 1000 – 3000 words

Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

Feyi Fay and the Mysterious Madam Koi Koi by Simisayo Brownstone

Chapter books

Few Illustrations; ages 6 – 9; 5000 – 20,000 words

Mafoya and the Finish Line by Ayo Oyeku

No 1 Car Spotter by Atinuke

Middle Grade:

Rarely illustrated; ages 8 – 12; 25,000 – 50,000

A-Files by Victoria Afe Inegbedion

Akata Witch/What Sunny Saw in the Flames by Nnedi Okoroafor

Mirror on the Wall by Jesutofunmi Fekoya

Young Adult

Almost never illustrated; ages 13+ ; 40,000 – 100,000 words

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Other genres:

Concept Books

Diary of a Toddler by Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi

A Fun ABC by Sade Fadipe

Plays

Mouth Almighty by Salihah Agbaje

Graphic Novels

Anike Eleko by Sandra Joubeaud and Alaba Onajin

Comics

1897: Okiojo’s Chronicles Series

Nonfiction*

My Nigeria, Peoples, Places and Culture by Constance Omawumi Kola-Lawal

Social Justice Books

Eno’s Story by Ayodele Olofintuade

The Red Transistor Radio by Fatima Akilu

OTHER CATEGORIES

Action/Adventure

Ginika’s Adventures by Nnenna Ochiche

The Adventures of Obi and Titi: Queen Idia’s Mask

Series

Illesanmi Twins Series. Book #1 Mystery at Ebenezer Lodge by Dunni Olatunde

Half Hour Hara Series. Book #1 The Case of the Broken Eggs by Ugo Anidi

Science Fiction

Zahra the Windseeker by Nnedi Okoroafor

Folktales/Fairytales

Folktales are Forever by Efe Farinre

Biographies

Idia of the Benin kingdom by Ekiuwa Aire

Please note: This list is by no means exhaustive!

  1. Action: Get a library subscription

Try Bookworm Café. This outfit specializes only in children’s books and its Director is a children’s literature connoisseur.

Try ZODML, Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries too!

OR

Be like me, buy every single book on this list … AND MORE 😊

2. Read.

Read 2 to 3 books in each genre to determine which one appeals to you😊

Then when you find your niche, read as many books as possible in that genre. Good luck!

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*post on nonfiction coming soon

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30 Tips for Writing Delightful Children’s Books Day 2

ARTICLES, LITERARY RAMBLES, Writing Picture Books Course, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WRITING CHILDREN’S BOOKS TIP #2: READ! READ!! READ!!!

Stephen King

15 years ago, I met my ‘then’ role model and I excitedly asked her the million-dollar question: “What can I do to become a world-famous writer like you?” I expected a million-dollar answer, a one-way ticket to stardom, the secret to Enid Blyton’s success, something utterly profound.

What I got was:

Read Read Read.

Mschew, I thought as I walked away.

A decade and some later, I know now that she gave me the best piece of writing advice in the world! In fact, this should have been Tip #1. 😊 Do you want to become a bestselling children book author? Please read hundreds of books by other children’s book authors! Hundreds! Thousands! Set a monthly reading target! There is NO OTHER WAY.

Also ….

A… Read what you would like to write

If you love historical fiction and you would like to write a piece of historical fiction set in Nigeria with a 12-year-old main character, please read at least 20 middle grade historical fiction novels set in Africa before you start writing. Read another 20 after writing your first draft. Note: Novels which provide examples of good writing are called mentor texts.

and

B… Read like a writer.

When you read, look out for craft elements* that the writer used to perfection and write them down. Note the way the writer uses them. Elements to look out for: point of view, character development, plot, theme, worldbuilding/setting, dialogue, scenes, literary devices, etc.

  1. Action: Create a Read like a Writer Journal.

For every book you read, write the craft element that appealed to you in your journal.

Here’s what mine looks like:

S/NBOOK CRAFT ELEMENTOther
1Beasts Made of NightTochi OnyebuchiMemorable Action ScenesYA, African magical realism
2Zahrah the WindseekerNnedi OkoroaforWorldbuilding!!!!!!YA, African magical realism
3Aru Shah and the End of TimeRoshani ChokshiWorldbuildingMG, Mythology
4Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the SkyKwame MbaliaWorldbuilding, themeMG Mythology
5Lalani of the Distant SeaErin Entrada KellyWorld Building, Xter Development (Hetsbi)MG, Magical realism
6How to Find What You’re Not Looking ForVeera HiranandaniCharacter, 2nd person Point of view, emotional connection with writer: lots of heart, theme,MG, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Disability, Discrimination
7Children of Blood and BoneTomi AdeyemiWorldbuilding, Excellent Xter Development (Amari + Prince Inan), internal dialogue, 1st person point of view x 3YA, Yoruba Mythology, The Orisha
RLAW Table

This table shows you the stuff I loved/learnt from the books I’ve read in recent times but it also shows you something else: the nature of the story I’m currently working on and the type of story I’d like to try after this project.

I am currently working on a middle grade piece of historical fiction with elements of magical realism. The bit on mythology is for my next project. 😊

2. Read.

So, figure out the theme/genre of your next writing project and start reading.

Want to write a story for children, don’t know where to start? Tell me all about it and we can figure out the theme and some mentor texts for you!

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*post on craft elements coming soon

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30 Tips for Writing Delightful Children’s Books

ARTICLES, LITERARY RAMBLES, Writing Picture Books Course, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WRITING CHILDREN’S BOOKS TIP #1: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW –

Ernest Hemingway

This could mean, write about the things you’ve seen, done, heard, loved, felt, basically experienced. If you’ve flown upside down in a plane, that could be the beginning of a story set in year 3054 with human characters who walk on their heads! If you’ve felt sadness over the loss of a pet, you can write about the loss of a loved one.

Basically, take what you know, add sprinkles of salt and pepper to it and voila! Your story!

I have always loved stories! Long before I discovered stories in written form, I found love in oral stories, particularly Igbo folktales. I heard tons of Igbo folktales as a child. I know Igbo folktales like the back of my hand. Naturally, when I started writing seriously, my first thought was to recreate Igbo folktales. But I couldn’t reproduce all the folktales I’d heard, could I?

… Enter Fractured Folktales

A fractured folktale is a folktale that is revised or rewritten to appeal to a contemporary audience. It can be laced with humour or restructured to a deliver a social justice message.

  1. Action: Take that folktale you know and love and change something about it.
  • Give it a different main character (or rewrite it from another character’s point of view) or change the human characters to animals or vice versa OR
  • Change the theme OR
  • Give it a different beginning or ending OR
  • Give it a different setting. Take it from year 1601 to year 2075!

2. Read:

Picture Book:

The Greedy Ostrich by Olusayo Ajetunmobi (Original Folktale: Yoruba)

The Missing Chicken by Ugo Anidi (Original folktale: Igbo: How Tortoise Married a Wife with a Grain of Corn)

Chapter Book:

Afro the Girl with the Magical Hair by Okechukwu Ofili (Original fairytale: Brothers Grimm: Rapunzel)

These books are available on the Farafina Books website.

3. More research: Read my blogpost on creating contemporary stories from Igbo folktales here

Want to write a story for children, don’t know where to start? Try a fractured folktale (or fairytale) today. Tell me all about it.

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Dada Ade and the Good Hair Fairy

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

Title: Dada Ade and the Good Hair Fairy

Author: Venessa Scholtz

Publisher:  Farafina Tuuti

Number of pages: 24

Type of Book: Picture Book, African, African Folktales.

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://farafinabooks.com/book?b=2074; @thebookwormcafeng on Instagram.

Price: N1,000

MY SUMMARY

In this book by the 2016 Golden Baobab picture book award-winner Venessa Scholtz, the reader embarks on a journey with young Dada Ade who doesn’t like her kinky, curly, crimped, wild and unruly hair. Wanting to exchange her hair for something better, Dada Ade sets out to find the Good Hair Fairy. On her way, she meets several animals who offer her their ‘hair’: the furry cat, the feathered duck, the scaly chameleon. But the best part of the story comes when Dada Ade finally meets the Good Hair Fairy. Read the story to find out the grand surprise at the end.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Told in a manner reminiscent of the folktales I heard as a child, this made me smile. My boys and I loved it. The text is lyrical and makes for a great read-aloud. The story is fun and educational; readers learn about different types of animal body coverings/hair. Alaba Onajin again provides vibrant illustrations which make an already good book even better. The icing on the cake is the surprise at the end of the book plus the lesson.  

DOWN: None

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Learn about hair, fur, feathers and scales here: https://mothernatured.com/animal-exploration/fur-feather-and-scales-a-cover-up/

CHALLENGE: Dada Ade and the Good Hair Fairy

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Draw and colour 4 creatures, 1 of which must have hair, feather, fur or scales.

4 – 6 year olds

  • Make a list of 15 animals, 5 of which must have fur, scales or feathers.

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 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 31st 2021.

Next Book of the Week:

HOLES by Louis Sachar

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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole In The Sky

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

Title: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in The Sky

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Publisher:  Rick Riordan Presents

Number of pages: 528

Type of Book: Middle Grade, African, African Folktales, African American, Mythology.

Age: 8 – 12

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Tristan-Strong-Punches-Hole-Novel/dp/1368042414/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Price: $ 8.99

MY SUMMARY

Seventh grader Tristan Strong is down in the dumps. He has just lost his best friend as well as his very first boxing match. His parents send him off to Alabama to spend a month with his grandparents to cool off. There, he literally punches a hole in the sky and falls through earth into another dimension and the adventure of a lifetime!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: The world building, the setting and the characters particularly, the folktale heroes, Anansi!!!!, the 10” tall doll baby Gum Baby, the iron monsters, the haunted bone ships and the burning sea! I loved them! It’s an adventure story with some of my favourite Ms: magic and mythology. The specificity Mbalia uses to describe the setting is out of this world! The worldbuilding was extraordinary and I feel like this book is a good mentor text for writers on the subject of setting.

DOWN: A lot of description slowed the action down. Because life is what it is, the actual highlight of the novel was also its undoing. Oh my!!! The description was just too much. I feel like I was buried under a mountain of details. I have been trying to read this book for 8 weeks but I still haven’t made it halfway. It is unbelievably putdownable, in fact, 1 of 2 things happens each time I pick it up: I come up with something more interesting to do or I fall asleep. In summary, I still haven’t finished reading it but at this point, I honestly cannot. go. on. This will be the first time I am consciously abandoning a book halfway, I am sad and I really struggled to avoid this but …

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt (Chapter 1) here: https://www.readriordan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tristan-Strong-Hole-in-Sky_pp1-33.pdf

CHALLENGE: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in The Sky

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Write a 300-word essay on any African God.

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 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 15th 2021.

Next Book of the Week:

DADA ADE AND THE GOOD HAIR FAIRY by Vennessa Scholtz

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*open to US residents only

The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

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

Title: The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

Author: Sope Martins

Publisher:  Farafina Tuuti

Number of pages: 28

Type of Book: Fiction, African, Folktale

Genre: Picture Book

Age: 4 – 8

Buy it here: https://farafinabooks.com/book?b=2029

Price: N1,000.

MY SUMMARY

Afuwe nearly gets eaten by an owl on his birthday!!! Naturally, he’s terrified and decides he doesn’t like being small. So when Tortoise gives him a magical birthday present which grants 5 wishes, his ultimate wish is to be the greatest animal in the jungle so he can be all powerful.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It’s funny and action packed, 2 of my favourite ingredients in any book. Afuwe is such a lovable character and he is so relatable. Sope Martins is great with words and imagery. Afuwe’s fear when the owl chases him is so palpable. With a few words, Martins draws readers in, sucking us into Afuwe’s world so that we sweat with Afuwe in the beginning, and laugh with him at the end and she does this with less than 1000 words!

My kids love it!! B3 tries to read it every night. We laughed and laughed at Afuwe antics and I am sad because I really cannot share the joy this book gave us without putting up lots and lots of spoilers. Take it from us, this is a GREAT BOOK to give as a Christmas present!!

DOWN:  None

RATING

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

CHALLENGE: The Greatest Animal in the Jungle

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. The greatest animal in the jungle is the …
  2. Give 5 reasons for your answer.  

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 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 6th 2020.

Next Book of the Week:

IDIA OF THE BENIN KINGDOM by Ekiuwa Aire

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The Adventures of Obi and Titi: Queen Idia’s Mask

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

Title: The Adventures of Obi and Titi: Queen Idia’s Mask

Author: O. T Begho

Publisher:  Evolution Media

Number of pages: 120

Type of Book: Fiction, adventure, African

Genre: Chapter Book

Age: 8 – 12

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Obi-Titi-Queen-Idias/dp/0955496640

Price: $9.99

MY SUMMARY

This book is the fourth in a chapter book series about Ancient Africa. In this book, Obi and Titi must warn Queen Kehinde that she is in imminent danger but their plans are continuously thwarted by assassins. With the help of a masked rider who turns out to be a young girl named Idia (named after Queen Idia) and her mask which helps her see a few minutes into the future, Obi and the Titi must overcome the tyrant Ezomo and a giant man-eating spider to get to the Queen.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: I struggled to find the highlights of this book because I was a bit offended by the disservice to Queen Idia. It was well-written and easy to read. It had some humourous bits and it does give a bit of insight into life in Ancient Yoruba land. It has all the makings of a good adventure series and would have been much better if it had left the African part out of it, rather than giving ambiguous information. It features a mini vocabulary list and another list of African facts.

DOWN: I struggled to get to the end of this book because I don’t know how to abandon a book halfway. I had bought this with the hope of adding to my research library on Queen Idia but I was sorely disappointed. First of all, Queen Idia was mentioned in about 8 out of 120 pages and the mask was a piece of wood with magical powers. I also feel like the facts were mixed up. Young readers will not be able to tell which bits of the story were fiction and which were nonfiction and the academic in me found that really stressful. There was a lot of telling and not enough showing but I guess I was particularly annoyed because I have a great deal of respect for Queen Idia and what the pendant mask represents and this book just basically trampled all over her. Matters came to a head when I found grammatical errors.

RATING

⭐️ ⭐️

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

  1. Read an excerpt here: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Obi-Titi-Queen-Idias/dp/0955496640 (use the Look Inside function)

CHALLENGE: The Adventures of Obi and Titi: Queen Idia’s Mask

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Write a 500-word essay on Queen Idia and the pendant mask.

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 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 29th 2020.

Next Book of the Week:

THE GREATEST ANIMAL IN THE JUNGLE by Sope Martins

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ÀNÍKÉ ELÉKO

AGES 4 - 8, AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

anike_eleko

Title:   Àníké Eléko 

Author: Sandra Joubeaud, Illustrated by Àlàbá Ònájìn

Publisher: Farafina Tuuti      

Year of Publication: 2017

Number of pages:  122        

Type of Book: Fiction; Graphic novel

Age: 8 and up

Available here: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/anike_eleko/17283 ; https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/anike-eleko/ ; Terrakulture Victoria Island, Lagos ;

https://www.jumia.com.ng/farafina-anike-eleko-8664178.html ;

https://www.konga.com/aonike-eleko-3751571

 Price: N1000; N1200; N1300; N1400; N1500

MY SUMMARY

Àníké wants to be a medical doctor but Iya and Aunt Remi have other plans for her, after all, in Aunt Remi’s words, “It is better for a woman to master a craft and find a good husband.”

So when Àníké decides to write the scholarship exam for a chance to pursue her dreams, she finds she has to study extra hard to get her Arithmetic right but Iya and Aunt Remi saddle her with making Aunt Remi’s wedding dress, as if selling ẹ̀kọ every morning before going to school and helping Iya at the market after school aren’t enough work already!

Read the book to find out how Àníké fared with ‘The Scholarship’.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: THE ILLUSTRATIONS were hands down the best part of the book for me. I loved them! Rich and colourful, they totally immerse the reader in Àníké’s world. They were so good that I felt like I could have ‘read’ the book just by looking at them. Ònájìn’s work really gives meaning to the line: ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’

Comics are NOT my thing, so this book was a pleasant surprise!

DOWN: Àníké was rude to her mother more than once. Hands-on-the-waist-talking-with-exclamation-marks rude! She also deceived her mother and aunt, all in a bid to study for the Scholarship exam. This behaviour went unpunished, making it look like the end always justifies the means.

One of my favorite characters didn’t make it to the cover: Àríyọ̀ the Cobbler.

RATING

4 stars

TRIVIA

Some conversation starters for your kids

  1. “It is better for a woman to master a craft and find a good husband”
  2. “School is more important for boys”
  3. Àníké had to wake really early in the morning to sell ẹ̀kọ before going to school but Banjo her brother didn’t. Is that fair?
  4. Other themes explored in the book besides Courage: Bullying, Friendship.

VISIT ÀNÍKÉ HERE : https://www.facebook.com/anikeeleko/

CHALLENGE: ÀNÍKÉ ELÉKO

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Oge wants to be a Movie star, Ìlérí wants to be a Policewoman, Àníké wants to be a Doctor

Write a 300-word essay on any of the following lines:

“What I want to be”

or

“School is more important for boys”

OR

  1. Recreate the picture below

13782014_1621283454868722_7652309809832249381_n

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 Saturday, April 14th 2018.

Next Book of the Week:

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by SAM MCBRATNEY

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photo credit: kachifo.com and Àníké’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/anikeeleko/