Children's Africana Book Award

Ato and his friends Dzifa and Leslie have been selected to visit Nnoma, the bird sanctuary that Ato's father helped build before he died. Ato is convinced that his father hid something valuable on the island, meant only for him. When the trio arrives at...

Based on a true story, this heartwarming picture book shows how one gift changed the fate of a poor Ugandan family--especially the young girl who wanted to go to school. More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African...

In the thirteenth century, Sundiata overcame physical handicaps, social disgrace, and strong opposition to rule the West African trading empire of Mali.

Sargrenti is the name by which Major General Sir Garnet Wolseley, KCMG (1833 - 1913) is still known in the West African state of Ghana. Kofi Gyan, the 15-year old boy who spits in Sargrenti's eye, is the nephew of the chief of Elmina, a town on the...

"Wavin'Flag" has become an international anthem. Its powerful words of hope have crossed generations and borders, and have made K'NAAN an international star. In his first book for children, When I Get Older, Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and...

An award-winning, "unforgettable" novel for fans of Ibi Zoboi and Erika L. Sánchez (SLJ, starred review) about two sisters when the line between family and foe is blurred. Sisters Cheta and Zam couldn't be more different. Cheta, sharp-tongued and...

Mati's family is reeling from the death of Mati's mother. Her Baba has drawn into himself, her sister Chichi is rebelling, and her young brother Tana is desperate for love and normalcy.When Chichi pulls her worst stunt yet, Baba uproots the family from...

John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations - American Library Association (ALA)A picture book biography of scientist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman--and first environmentalist--to win a Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004) for her work planting...

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their...

An extraordinary tale of two teenagers from vastly different walks of life, this page-turner transports readers to a bustling market in Ghana's capital city where one friendship transforms two lives. When Faiza, a migrant girl from northern Ghana, and...

An orphaned boy in contemporary Senegal must decide between doing what is right and what is easy as he struggles to keep a promise he made to his dying father in this "stirring" (School Library Journal) middle grade debut novel laced with magical realism...

An orphaned boy in contemporary Senegal must decide between doing what is right and what is easy as he struggles to keep a promise he made to his dying father in this "stirring" (School Library Journal) middle grade debut novel laced with magical realism...

Do you know why dogs always chase after the matatus? Kioko had been watching the matatus come and go for as long as he could remember. But today, for his fifth birthday, he climbs aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market,...

What does it mean to be loyal?Mathew and Mugo, two boys--one white, one black--share an uneasy friendship in Kenya in the 1950s. They're friends even though Mathew's dad owns the land and everything on it. They're friends despite the difference in their...

Ato and his friends Dzifa and Leslie have been selected to visit Nnoma, the bird sanctuary that Ato's father helped build before he died. Ato is convinced that his father hid something valuable on the island, meant only for him. When the trio arrives at...

Powerful historical literary fiction set in South Africa during the Boer War that follows a girl's struggle to survive after she and her family are interned in a British concentration camp. Corlie Roux's farm life in South Africa is not easy: the...

Black Panther meets X-Men in this "fast-paced, action-packed, and empowering" (A. F. Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief) middle grade adventure about a British Nigerian girl who learns that her Afro hair has...

The story of a young Tanzanian boy who learns a lesson about family love after selling the special music box his grandfather made for him.Bernardi loves to play soccer and would love to go to school too, but he and his grandfather, Babu, cannot afford to...

Illustrated in rich pastels, this child's-eye view of an important milestone in South African history allows young readers to experience every detail of this eventful day.

Seleccionado como uno de los mejores libros para jóvenes del 2021 por Publishers Weekly Las olas de cambio están llegando. Estás preparado? Esta es la historia de un gran amor, un amor que amenazará a los mundos y enfurecerá a los dioses. Esta es una...

Corlie Roux's farm life in South Africa is not easy: the Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left with a mother who is as devoted to...

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. *"Mbalia expertly weaves a meaningful portrayal of...

A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture. Every night, my Ametti Fatma sings the sounds of Egypt to me as I fall asleep. This is the Nile, that flows through the city. Swish, swoosh, swish. This is the...

For more than a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 1700, the medieval kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay grew rich on the gold, salt, and slave trade that stretched across Africa. Scraping away hundreds of years of ignorance, prejudice, and mythology,...

Based on a true story from Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood in South Africa, Desmond and the Very Mean Word reveals the power of words and the secret of forgiveness. When Desmond takes his new bicycle out for a ride through his neighborhood, his pride...

Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award! In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother--whose face bears traditional tribal markings--to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for...

Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award! In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother--whose face bears traditional tribal markings--to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls "epic and original," in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and...

Mati's family is reeling from the death of Mati's mother. Her Baba has drawn into himself, her sister Chichi is rebelling, and her young brother Tana is desperate for love and normalcy.When Chichi pulls her worst stunt yet, Baba uproots the family from...

An Instant #1 New York Times BestsellerA TIME Top 100 Fantasy Books of All TimeA New York Times Notable Children's BookA Kirkus Prize Finalist With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi's West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times...

Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village. When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls "epic and original," in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and...

Three delightful tales from a renowned Nigerian storyteller introduce a chapter-book heroine who is every bit as mighty as she is small. In a trio of droll stories, award-winning author and storyteller Atinuke debuts an endearing and enduring character...

Ato hasn't visited his grandmother's house since he was seven. He's heard the rumors 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...

Onyeka has a lot of hair­—the kind that makes strangers stop in the street and her peers whisper behind her back. At least she has Cheyenne, her best friend, who couldn’t care less what other people think. Still, Onyeka has always felt...