Books for Black History Month

February 14th may be Valentine's Day, but the entire month of February is Black History Month in Canada and the United States--so let me introduce you to some of our books set in Africa.

For Spring 2011, we're proud to announce a new book called Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations, by Bathseba Opini and Richard Lee. Readers are introduced to African inventions and discoveries from ancient times to today, including the xylophone, coffee, and the use of aloe vera to treat burns. Find out more by watching this book trailer:



Another great book set in Africa is Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron. Based on a true story, the book follows 15-year-old Wuditu, an Ethiopian Jewish girl who is separated from her family when they attempt to escape to Israel. Alone, she must find a way to survive by any means possible, while hiding her Jewish faith to avoid persecution.



Set in sub-Saharan Africa, Chanda's Secrets, by Allan Stratton, is a heart-breaking, powerful story about 16-year-old Chanda, who struggles to help her friends and family deal with the devastation and stigma of the AIDS epidemic. The book has won 25 awards and honors, and has also been adapted into an award-winning film called Life, Above All. Look for it in theatres this spring! (Bonus for teachers: click here to download a free comprehensive lesson plan!)

Black History Month: The Bite of the Mango and Chanda's Secrets

February is Black History Month in Canada and the U.S. (in the U.K., it's in October), so today's blog post features two of our most popular books with African content.

Mariatu Kamara's powerful memoir The Bite of the Mango won the respected Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction last year, and continues to receive awards nominations and praise. So far, the foreign rights have been sold for Australia/New Zealand (Allen & Unwin), the UK (Bloomsbury), Germany (Droemer Knaur), Holland (De Fontein), Italy (Sperling & Kupfer), Spain (Intermon Oxfam), French North America (La courte échelle), Portuguese Brazil (Editora Planeta), Slovenia (Zaloba Alica), and Korea (BookInMyLife). We're thrilled to see Mariatu's story travel around the world in so many different languages.

Here's Mariatu on a trip home to Sierra Leone:


From previous blog posts, you'll remember that author Allan Stratton has been on-site in sub-Saharan Africa to watch as his novel, Chanda's Secrets, is transformed into a movie. He's recently updated his blog with the story of how his book got turned into a movie, more pictures of the actors on set, and a funny story about movie extras.

We'll leave you with this book trailer:


For Black History events, check a local newspaper or search online. (NOW Magazine has a good list of events in Toronto.)