Explore the African Continent With These 8 Picture Books by African Authors

Listen to the sounds of Cairo in this tender ode to the Egyptian capital. The young narrator has moved away from Cairo, but when her Auntie Fatma comes to visit, she reminds the girl of the sounds of the city so she doesn’t forget, from the “swish, swoosh, swish” of a boat in the Nile to the “clip, clop, clip” of a donkey cart in the street. The author bases this story on her time spent with her aunt as a child. It’s a lovely bedtime story.

Esi and her family are on their way to the Kakamotobi Festival in Winneba, Ghana, where people dress up and wear monster masks as they dance to loud music. When they arrive, Esi thinks monsters have eaten her parents! She runs away, but there are monsters everywhere. Can she be brave to save her parents from the monsters? Paired with vibrant illustrations, this is a delightful read that many kids who have been to busy festivals will identify with. An author’s note gives more information about the festival.

A little girl loves chocolate, and as she and her father bake a chocolate cake, she learns about her Grandpa Cacao, who owned a farm in the Ivory Coast where he harvested cacao, which was then turned into chocolate. It’s a lovely combination of family and culinary history with striking illustrations, ending in a visit from Grandpa Cacao for the girl’s birthday. Extensive back matter includes the realities of the cacao trade, how chocolate is made, and a recipe for chocolate cake.

This nonfiction picture book tells the story of how Richard Turere invented a way for Maasai farmers to keep their cows safe from lions. As a Maasai herder, young Richard was tasked with caring for his family’s cows, but lions saw cows as easy prey. Richard also enjoyed tinkering with electronics, and he was determined to find a way to make peace with the lions. After years of trial and error, he came up with just such an invention, which is now used by farmers in many countries. It’s a fascinating picture book that won several awards.

My kid had this picture book on repeat for about a year when it came out, and I still have it memorized! And yet despite reading it several times a day, it never grew old. Lami loves chasing chickens, and she’s the best at catching them in her Nigerian village. When one tricky chicken scurries farther and farther away, Lami hurts herself trying to catch her. But with a little wisdom from family, she learns new ways to catch those chickens. Atinuke uses repetition and alliteration for a delightful read-aloud experience. This picture book is now available in board book format, too.

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books about voting. It’s a powerful, gorgeously illustrated read by a South African poll worker. It’s told from the perspective of six-year-old Thembi, whose great-grandmother Gogo has never voted before. For the first time in Gogo’s lifetime, South Africa is allowing Black residents to vote. Though she’s afraid of crowds and hasn’t left their home in years, Gogo is determined to cast her ballot, and brings her granddaughter with her. It’s a beautiful story based on real events.

More than anything, Saruni wants to buy a bike of his own. Every Saturday, he helps his mother at the market and receives a small allowance. He saves up the coins, eyeing a beautiful red bike at the market. Meanwhile, he practices riding on his dad’s older bike. Kids will readily identify with the protagonist as he patiently saves and overcomes obstacles in his struggles to ride a bike. The watercolor illustrations are stunning, so expressive and colorful.

Eve lives on the edge of the forest and loves all the trees, especially the baobab. When she visits her grandmother deep in the forest, she is gifted a baobab seedling to care for. Eve vows to care for the seedling and the rest of the forest and dubs herself Eco Girl. Back matter includes more about baobab trees and the Great Green Wall project, which the author has written about in another picture book.