Ayo's Adventure
Across the African Diaspora from Afro to Zulu
Published on 17. September 2024
Book
Hardback
56 pages
979-8-88859-211-3 (ISBN)
Description
"As a lifelong literacy advocate, I seek out children's books that help kids explore the world around them. Ayo's Adventure is a journey through the sights and sounds of the African diaspora. I loved hanging out with Ayo on his adventure. I learned so much" - LeVar Burton, actor and children's literacy advocate"
"Ayo told his mother all about the cultures, celebrations, and places he'd visited...He told her how Black people around the world fought, rebelled, and resisted, to create, innovate, and inspire."
One night as Ayo sits in front of a world map, his dad explains, "Our ancestors came from many nations in Africa. We are still connected to them today..."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
"I'll tell you more about this tomorrow, Ayo. Right now, it's bedtime."
But when Ayo drifts off to sleep, his dreams take him on an extraordinary journey through space, time and the alphabet to discover cultures of the African diaspora. "H" is for hip-hop, and "K" is kente cloth. "M" is for Mansa Mansa to and "R" is for revolution. He learns just how much the African diaspora has inspired the entire world in this A to Z exploration of Black history and culture.
Country labels, inset boxes and pronunciation guides on each page provide additional background information.
Extensive endnotes dive deeper into the African diaspora and the cultures featured in the story.
"Ayo told his mother all about the cultures, celebrations, and places he'd visited...He told her how Black people around the world fought, rebelled, and resisted, to create, innovate, and inspire."
One night as Ayo sits in front of a world map, his dad explains, "Our ancestors came from many nations in Africa. We are still connected to them today..."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
"I'll tell you more about this tomorrow, Ayo. Right now, it's bedtime."
But when Ayo drifts off to sleep, his dreams take him on an extraordinary journey through space, time and the alphabet to discover cultures of the African diaspora. "H" is for hip-hop, and "K" is kente cloth. "M" is for Mansa Mansa to and "R" is for revolution. He learns just how much the African diaspora has inspired the entire world in this A to Z exploration of Black history and culture.
Country labels, inset boxes and pronunciation guides on each page provide additional background information.
Extensive endnotes dive deeper into the African diaspora and the cultures featured in the story.
Reviews / Votes
"As a lifelong literacy advocate, I seek out children's books that help kids explore the world around them. Ayo's Adventure is a journey through the sights and sounds of the African diaspora. I loved hanging out with Ayo on his adventure. I learned so much." - LeVar Burton, Actor + Children's Literacy Advocate "Ayo's Adventure is a dreamy and illustrious stroll through Black history and culture. It is a beautiful and brilliant reminder that Blackness is both deep and wide and joyful. It is everything I would read to my three free Black children" - Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, Ph.D, Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Wellesley College "A gentle but enormously powerful introduction to the Diaspora, Ayo's Adventure is a joyfully inventive journey that can inspire readers of all ages to explore the many ways that people of African heritage around the world are connected" - Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat"A book brimming with affirmations of Blackness! Ayo's Adventure is a love letter that reveals to be part of the African Diaspora is to be part of a global community of Black brilliance, Black creativity, Black resilience, Black joy" - Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, co-founder of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy
"Structured as an ABC book (A is for Afro, B is for Braids, C is for Calypso), Ayo's adventure takes him all around the globe . . . This is a valuable book to serve as a mirror or window for a wide variety of readers and reading levels" - School Library Journal
"Succinctly described, and with standout illustrations by Erin K. Robinson, Ayo finds out more about everything from Afro hair, carnival and kente cloth to Brazil's Quilombo community, soul food and Ethiopian empress Taitu (Taytu) Betul." - Absolutely Education magazine "Children will learn much from this book - I did!" - IBPA Book Award Judge "This selection should be in every public library and introduced in every elementary school DEI program and library" - IBPA Book Award Judge
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bath
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Kindergarten to Fifth Grade, Interest Age: From 5 to 10 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 306 mm
Width: 263 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
775 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-88859-211-3 (9798888592113)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ain Drew is the author of Ari J.'s Kinky, Curly Crown. She is inspired by the power of words and loves writing beautiful stories for children. As an educator, Ain uses books to expand her students' knowledge about the world around them. Ain lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and enjoys spending time with her son, DJ, learning about different cultures around the globe, exploring new places, and reading.
Erin K. Robinson is an Emmy-nominated illustrator trained at the Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Erin's illustrations have been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and she has illustrated numerous picture books, including A Library by Nikki Giovanni. Erin splits her time between Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC.
Erin K. Robinson is an Emmy-nominated illustrator trained at the Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Erin's illustrations have been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and she has illustrated numerous picture books, including A Library by Nikki Giovanni. Erin splits her time between Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC.