Atinuke

Anna Hibiscus, her grandparents, and her older girl cousins all head to their ancestral village, far from their city home, in this sixth chapter-book devoted to Anna's adventures. Anna Hibiscus on the Bus chronicles the exciting journey from city to bush, while Anna in the Village describes Anna as she follows some of the village women on the long trek from the bus to their destination. Anna Hibiscus Is Brave sees Anna confronting both the village children, who call her an oyinbo (foreigner) show more because she is mixed race, and some wild dogs who frighten her grandmother. Finally, in Anna Makes Friends, our winsome little heroine finds a way to befriend the aloof village children, offering them something, and getting something in return...

Every bit as delightful as its predecessors, Go Well, Anna Hibiscus! pairs an engaging, entertaining and heartwarming narrative from expatriate Nigerian author Atinuke with appealing artwork from English illustrator Lauren Tobia. I continue to find the way that serious issues are explored in these books quite thoughtful, and deeply moving. The way in which Grandfather talks Anna through her hurt feelings, after the village children call her an oyinbo, the way he leads her to an understanding that there wouldn't be anything wrong with her, even if she were an oyinbo, displays sensitivity, and excellent moral reasoning. This is something I so often miss in today's children's books, even when they are ostensibly dealing with moral issues. Grandfather's use of the Socratic method here is excellent, and left me with a bit of a lump in my throat! Kudos to Atinuke, once again, for her clear vision, and for the fact that (much like in Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!) she doesn't make the prejudiced children into terrible villains. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed previous installments of the Anna Hibiscus series. show less

Anna's grandfather wants to spend some time in the village he was born in, and some of the family, including Anna, go along. I love her pet rooster, Snow White, and his many shenanigans. I love the short, funny stories that keep a kernel of how to live right at the center. I love how village life is not presented in any way as lesser, just different. Lots of ways to be human, and make friends, and spend your days happily, in Africa, beautiful Africa.

Anna Hibiscus returns in this eighth and final chapter-book devoted to her adventures, this time confronting personal tragedy and the grief and anger thereafter. The volume opens with Double Trouble, in which Anna's younger twin brothers constantly get her into scrapes with their antics, before making it up to her when the entire family is locked out of their big white house. In Good-bye Grandfather, Anna avoids saying goodbye to her fading grandfather, because the hurt is simply too big for show more her to handle. After his death, she must be reassured that he would pleased to think of her carrying on, and helped to see that he is still with her. In What's Wrong, Sunny?, Anna's grief at her grandfather's death lead her to briefly join a group of bullies at school, only to realize too late that the target is her best friend and adopted family member, Sunny. When Sunny runs away, Anna must find a way to make things right. The story concludes with the twins again, in No More Trouble, as they worry everyone around them with their quiet withdrawal. It falls to Anna to figure out what is wrong, and by telling stories of Grandfather, set matters to rights...

I finished You're Amazing, Anna Hibiscus with a lump in my throat. As always, Nigerian expatriate author Atinuke's story is both heartwarming and poignant. Here she deals with darker themes than in some of her earlier books in the series, addressing not just death and grief, but also the destructive potential of anger, and how we can get carried away with it, causing harm to ourselves and others. In previous books, when Anna did something she shouldn't, it was Grandfather (together with Grandmother) who helped her to see how she had gone wrong, and what she should do to set things right. Now, some of that support network is gone, and although she still has Grandmother and the rest of her family, the challenge she faces is greater. I really appreciated the author's sensitivity, in depicting these themes, and I also liked the way that the book both opened and closed with the twins, Double Trouble. Although young, they too feel the loss of Grandfather, and fear that he has been forgotten, because no one is speaking of him. The conclusion here, in which the whole family tells stories and remembers Grandfather, felt just right!

I am sad that this is the end of the Anna Hibiscus series, which I have greatly enjoyed. Perhaps I will seek out some of Atinuke's picture-books, or the first of her other chapter-book series, The No 1 Car Spotter. show less

Anna Hibiscus leaves her home and family in Africa to visit her Canadian grandmother in this fourth installment of Atinuke's chapter-book series devoted to her adventures. Like its predecessors, there are four short stories presented here, beginning with Anna Goes to Canada, in which Anna bids farewell to her family, sleeps through most of her flight, and finally meets Granny Canada for the first time. Her worries that she will not be happy in this new place are assuaged by her first sight show more of snow. Anna's First Day involves a bit of culture shock, as Anna slowly makes friends with Qimmiq, her very first dog friend. In Cousins or Friends? Anna meets some of the local children, and accompanies them on a skating and sledding outing. After some initial unpleasantness - unkind comments about her lack of ability in these sports, due to her being African - Anna stands up for herself, and ends up winning new friends. Finally, in Anna's Christmas in Canada, Anna enjoys holiday baking with Granny Canada, and caroling in the snow. The book closes as she heads home, in the company of new friend Tiger Lily, who is herself visiting Africa for the first time...

Like its predecessors, Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! is an immensely engaging title for beginning chapter-book readers. I have loved the interaction between Anna and her large extended family in previous books, and here I loved the somewhat different but equally loving interaction between her and Granny Canada. I really appreciated the way that Atinuke handled the issue of the dog, showing that in Anna's culture dogs are never allowed in the house, being considered dangerous and dirty, and are certainly never kept as companions. When Anna learns that her great-great-grandfather was a dog sledder, and was saved by a dog, she gains an understanding of new and different ways of living, and of seeing the world. I also appreciated the way in which the children's prejudice against Anna was treated: it was shown to be wrong and hurtful, it was challenged, and then it was forgiven, allowing the children to become friends. Too often I find that that last part - the idea that people who have done or said something inconsiderate can be accepted again, if they acknowledge what they have done wrong, and seek forgiveness - is missing in today's world. Well done to Atinuke, all around - this was entertaining, engaging, and ultimately heartwarming, and I look forward to picking up the next installment of Anna's story, Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus! show less