August and September 2024 Book Reports

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I had read this book before, perhaps during my high school or college years, but I wanted to read it again before First Daughter did. It is one of the novels scheduled for English in Level 6 Year 2 (twelfth grade). It was at least as depressing as I remembered, but I found myself appreciating how it highlighted the malaise and aimlessness of the wealthy 1920s crowd. I think many of the same symptoms are still thriving in American society. I'm glad we have it scheduled. First Daughter thought all the characters are terrible, as she should. (purchased copy)

On Writing Well by William Zinsser - This is another book from the English course for the Mater Amabilis curriculum, though it's from Level 6 Year 1 (eleventh grade) and I finished it after First Daughter. I love how we have writing books scheduled for Level 6. They are good companions to the more basic writing guides we use in Level 5. (The Level 6 Year 2 book is The Office of Assertion. Zinsser's book is full of good advice the student can incorporate immediately into narrations and the longer essays assigned in the course. (PaperBackSwap.com)

The River and the Source by Margaret A. Ogola - I have seen this book recommended so many times over the years as a free geography read for Africa. For many years, it was out of print in the United States. Unlike many books available for geography, it was written by a Kenyan woman (not an American or Britain who lived in Kenya, or even a Kenyan who moved to the US or Great Britain). The author drew on stories told by her mother and grandmother about her great-grandmother. The book follows generations of the family through colonization and modernization. It's an excellent choice for a high school geography student, though given the time periods covered, a parent may want to pre-read. There are definitely some difficult topics. I was surprised at how small the printed pages are inside the book compared to the size of the book itself. I think the margins on all four sides are at least 2"! (purchased copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links.

September 2022 Book Reports

Talking Leaves by Joseph Bruchac - link to my post (library copy)

The Foundations of Western Civilization by Thomas F. X. Noble (Great Courses audiobook) - This is one of the honors selections for high school history in the Mater Amabilis plans for Level 5 and Level 6. It provides an overview of the history of Europe from the flourishing of Mesopotamia through the beginning of the modern world. (The history plans then introduce a few other audiobooks for more recent history.) I listened to these lectures relatively slowly alongside my student and enjoyed them. (purchased audiobook)

Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas - link to my post (purchased copy)

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - I didn't assign this book to my older three kids, but decided to assign it to my youngest in Level 3 for one of his classic books. (We recommend three a year in Level 3.) Most of the book was rather slow, compared to more modern books, but there was value in reading it. (copy received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Herodotus and the Road to History by Jeanne Bendick - I read this aloud to my kids back in 2016. I never assigned it for independent reading, so I read it aloud once more for the benefit of my youngers. (purchased copy)

Post Captain by Patrick O'Brien - This is the second in the Captain Aubrey series, which begins with Master and Commander. Sometimes I think I miss half of what goes on in these novels, but I love them. They're exciting and funny, though certainly not for young ears. (copy received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein - This book points out all the ways our judgment is flawed, and not just for the kinds of biases you anticipate. Despite finding it a bit repetitive at times, I am glad I listened to it and definitely think about how my current state of mind or circumstances can make a difference in how I'm making decisions. It's a worthwhile book to check out. (purchased audiobook)

The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink - This book by the author of Caddie Woodlawn was recently republished. I saw it shared on Facebook and asked our local library to buy a copy, which they did! It's a fun little story with a fair bit of excitement and adventure, parents who are a bit flakey, and kids who discover all the answers. There is a black character depicted in a way that is friendly, but not up to modern standards. The publishers have a little explanation and warning in the publisher's note before the story. I enjoyed this little book and encouraged my younger kids to read it on their own. (library copy)

Walking the Nile by Levinson Wood - Mr. Wood wrote this book about his attempt to walk the length of the Nile from its source to the Mediterranean Sea. His struggles with the weather, the terrain, and the people remind the reader that traveling in Africa still presents difficulties to the earliest European explorers. It's riveting. At first I was considering including it in the geography supplemental reading for my high school students, but by the end I decided the violence and griefs were a little too real. There is also a documentary, but I haven't watched it. (library copy)

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare (No Fear Shakespeare edition) - I read this ahead of the school year because I decided to assign it to my younger daughter (eighth grade, Level 4). It was a nice change from our usual selections. (purchased copy)

Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness by Kevin Nye - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon, Bookshop, and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

The Nile in Context: River of the Gods

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile 
by Candace Millard

I loved Millard's River of Doubt, so when I saw she was doing an event at our big city's main library for her new book (this would have been in May 2022), I knew I had to go. First Daughter went with me. We had a fabulous evening and bought a book each, both of which the author graciously signed for us.

River of the Gods fills in all the Nile River gaps a Mater Amabilis mother or student would have after reading A Book of Discovery. It's full of intrigue, disease, adventure, and death. The personalities and tragedies of the European explorers come to life, but Millard also supplies contextual information on the people of Africa who accompanied (or attacked) the adventurers. Millard's research seems excellent (to a non-historian such as myself) with extensive endnotes and bibliography.

I loved it. I'm becoming a bit of a geography and travel book addict, though. I think it would be a great book if you have a high schooler who was particularly fascinated by the search for the source of the Nile or the exploration of Africa by Europeans. It might be a tad slow-going for a casual reader.

I have received nothing in exchange for this review. I purchased the book. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

The Revelation of God's Love: A Memory for Wonders

A Memory for Wonders: A True Story

by Mother Veronica Namoyo Le Goulard, P.C.C.

This stunningly beautiful book is the autobiography of Mother Veronica Namoyo, written and shared only by order from her superior. She was the child of atheists, yet felt herself encountering a presence repeatedly in her life that eventually led to conversion and a complete dedication of herself as a Poor Clare nun in Algiers.

Suddenly the sky over me and in some way around me, as I was on a small hillock, was all afire. The glory of the sunset was perhaps reflected in the myriads of particles of powdery sand still floating in the air. It was like an immense, feathery flame all scarlet from one pole to the other, with touches of crimson and, on one side, of deep purple. I was caught in limitless beauty and radiant, singing splendor. And at the same time, with a cry of wonder in my heart, I knew that all this beauty was created, I knew GOD. (p. 30)

The book ends with her entrance to the convent, but her life as a nun seems to be have been full and momentous. I would dearly love to read a biography of her time within the convent as well, though I recognize my curiosity is unlikely to be assuaged in this life.

Kneeling in cotton stockings, listening to these still foreign expressions and looking at the veiled forms beyond the threshold, I was conscious of an almost infinite distance between when I was and what I was supposed to be. But the grain of wheat had to be buried. I went to the other side, and an enormous key turned grindingly in the lock. (p. 182)

Later that night, as she knew alone in her cell, she could hardly pray. She said only "You wanted me here, and here I am." (p. 182) 

This would be an excellent choice for a supplemental geography book in Level 5 or 6 alongside the study of Africa. Descriptions of the life and people of Morocco and Algeria are interwoven with her story. 

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased this book.

A Maasai Shares his People: Facing the Lion

Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna

by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton with Herman Viola

This fascinating little book was written by a young man who travelled long distances in Kenya to attend school, spending long stretches of time away from his nomadic family. Eventually, he attended college in the United States and now teaches in the Washington, D.C. area, often leading groups of Americans on trips to Kenya. His is a unique voice to tell Americans what life is like for the Maasai. Late in the book is a fabulous conversation between the author and his mother, who could never really grasp his modern life of travel between Kenya and the United States.

Mater Amabilis suggests a study of Africa in Level 2 Year 2 (fifth grade), and I think this book is perfect for that age, though it's not listed in the syllabus.

It does relate a few difficult experiences. Once the author and a few other boys were tracked by poachers who definitely intended harm, but they ran for almost twelve hours straight to escape. The description of his initiation ceremony is also very clear about the process of circumcision.

The photographs provided by the author in the color insert are wonderful.

My other children did not read this book, but I'm going to assign it to Second Son next year. He reads very quickly so I think I can even add it to the books he'll already be reading without bothering him too much. You can read about some of the other books he'll read in this post.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. I checked this book out from our library.

Growing Together: A Girl Called Problem

 A Girl Called Problem: A Novel
 by Katie Quirk

I wanted to pre-read this before First Daughter studies Africa in geography next year. It's written by an American who lived in Tanzania for two years, so she's not a native Tanzanian, but has learned much about life there.

In this novel, Shida (whose name means Problem), struggles to support the relationships among her small community when they all move to a larger village. It's mainly a story of personal growth, but is set amidst great upheaval in her village reflecting the changes of the time throughout Tanzania.

There are references to witchcraft. Many of the accusations of witchcraft are presented as scapegoating of the elderly or powerless. While some references seem to indicate witchcraft is not effective, the book really leaves the possibility of it open. I don't think that is inappropriate for the setting or for the sense of respecting another culture, but it may be confusing to a reader inclined to believe in witchcraft.

This book is comparatively easy to read for First Daughter, who will be in ninth grade next year and is an excellent reader. I think some fifth graders could read it (as Mater Amabilis geography for Level 2 Year 2 is that of Africa), though I would be inclined to wait a year or two longer based on the subject matter. I am going to put it on First Daughter's list for additional reading (because the assignments are never enough for her). This would be a good option for high school students studying Africa who need some easier reading options.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. I checked this book out from my local library.

A Master Lesson Plan for the Geography Coloring Book with Mater Amabilis™

As I was wrapping up our Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A year and organizing the Level 2 plans for Second Son, my youngest, I realized that over the years I have assigned different maps for the same book and the same maps for different books in The Geography Coloring Book. Because I love things to be nice and orderly, I decided to spend a little time creating a coherent set of master plans for The Geography Coloring Book aligned with the geography books for Mater Amabilis™ in Level 1A Year 2 (third grade), Level 2 (fourth and fifth grades), and Level 3 (sixth and seventh grades).

Just a friendly reminder: The Geography Coloring Book is not an essential tool for studying geography. I might even argue it's not the best tool for studying geography within the Charlotte Mason method. It is, however, an easy resource. The student colors the assignments independently, then can show the map work while narrating. Something similar would be asking the child to trace the country borders, rivers, and seas, but I found my kids tended to skip that part if I wasn't sitting next to them. I also personally love coloring maps, so in the usual fashion, I like assigning my children work I enjoy.

Moment of truth: These plans will not be used with any of my children in their entirety. They are plans for a hypothetical child who would start 1A Year 2 next year. These plans would allow for a student to use the same coloring book for the five years without duplicating the maps. (A few years allow options for different books, so there may be one or two countries or activities that appear more than once, but I really tried to avoid duplication.) At the end of five years, there are still plenty of maps left to color if you have a student who enjoys it.

If you are interested in a nice neat printable version of these, I intend to share a link in the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group.

Level 1A Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: People & Places
Mapping Lessons for Asia

Post on the Books We Read

Level 1A Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: Extreme Environments

Map Assignments (for 52 Days by Camel, Jungle Islands, and By Truck to the North)

Level 2 Years 1 and 2 Geography and Earth Studies: American Geography
Mapping Lessons for the Holling C. Holling books (Paddle-to-the-Sea, Seabird, Tree in the Trail, and Minn of the Mississippi)

Level 2 Year 1 Geography and Earth Studies: People and Places

Mapping Lesson for the Americas

Post on the Books for Second Son

Post on the Books for First Son

Level 2 Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: People & Places

Mapping Lessons for Africa

Post on Some of the Africa Books

Level 3 Year 1 Geography and Earth Studies: Travel

Book of Marvels: The Occident

Level 3 Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: Travel

Book of Marvels: The Orient

Please do not copy and share these elsewhere, but instead share by linking to this post or to the Facebook group.

Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. You can also find The Geography Coloring Book at Amazon (affiliate link).

Africa from Above: West with the Night

West with the Night

by Beryl Markham

Beryl Markharm moved to Africa with her father when she was very young. Her memoir, West with the Night, is centered on her experiences as a pilot, one of the first in Africa, let alone one of the first female ones. The book is episodic, sharing memories of flying as a young woman, hunting as a young girl, training horses at the racetrack. Hers was an unconventional life.

The writing is magnificent. Of Africa, she wrote:

It is still the host of all my darkest fears, the cradle of all mysteries always intriguing, but never wholly solved. It is the remembrance of sunlight and green hills, cool water and the yellow warmth of bright mornings. It is as ruthless as any sea, more uncompromising than its own deserts. It is without temperance in its harshness or in its favours. It yields nothing, offering much to men of all races.

While once visiting a neighbor, she was attacked by their pet lion.

The sound of Paddy's roar in my ears will only be duplicated, I think, when the doors of hell slip their wobbly hinges, one day, and give voice and authenticity to the whole panorama of Dante's poetic nightmares. It was an immense roar that encompassed the world and dissolved me in it.

While some readers may be disturbed by the story, Beryl seems to have forgiven the lion.

Beryl speaks eloquently and, compared to many of her British contemporaries in Africa, respectfully of the Africans. She describes a Kikuyu dance:

They sang in voices that were so much a part of Africa, so quick to blend with the night and the tranquil veldt and the labyrinths of forest that made their background, that the music seemed without sound. It was like a voice upon another voice, each of the same timbre.

She scouted for elephants by plane for people who wanted to hunt them. In the book, she never directly addresses the morality of elephant hunting, which of course was legal in her time. She does hint at it's foolishness.

The essence of elephant-hunting is discomfort in such lavish proportions that only the wealthy can afford it. 

The writing blends humor amongst the beauty. For example, she relates how she and a friend were waylaid by Italian officials on a flight from East Africa to England, back at a time when frequent stops were required and you couldn't just avoid troublesome areas.

Minutes had begun to accumulate into an hour before still another machine arrived, complete with side-car, and out of which popped an officer draped in a long blue cloak that bore enough medals to afford about the same protection, during the heat of battle, as a bullet-proof vest. 

The book isn't a biography; it's a meandering memoir that touches only on the aspects Beryl wanted to share. The lack of personal details is an advantage for those of us who might be interested in a book set in Africa for high schoolers as her personal life was...let's say a bit shocking. It's rambling nature centers mostly on Africa and flying in Africa, but her transatlantic flight is the culmination though without a strong connection to the rest of the book.

For our Africa study in tenth grade (Level 5 Year 2 in the Mater Amabilis™ curriculum), I assigned Four Years in Paradise as our travel/adventure book. Then I gave First Son some options for his supplemental geography reading. For the first time, he could choose between:

• The Flame Trees of Thika
• Out of Africa
• In Ethiopia with a Mule

I will add West with the Night to that list for First Daughter. I think she'd find this book more adventurous than the first two and more light-hearted than the third. (Second term reading is Things Fall Apart; third term is Cry, the Beloved Country.)

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest post. The Amazon links are affiliate links. I first checked this book out from the library and then requested a copy of our own from PaperBackSwap.com (affiliate link).

Off the Trail: In Ethiopia with a Mule

In Ethiopia with a Mule

by Dervla Murphy

This book appears for Geography of Africa in the Mater Amabilis™ Lesson 5 plans.

Originally I picked it up because I thought my son might enjoy it more than The Flame Trees of Thika and Out of Africa, being of a more adventuresome nature. It is certainly more adventurous. Dervla Murphy is a travel writer from Ireland who started her career with a book on her bike ride from Ireland to India. She wrote In Ethiopia with a Mule after hiking through Ethiopia in late 1966 and early 1967. She walked, climbed, and tumbled more than 1,000 miles in just over three months, then lived in the capital another six weeks.

Ms. Murphy arrived in Ethiopia from Ireland with more money in her pocket than most Ethiopians will ever see, as well as the support of local dignitaries, but she depends on the people of the country as she travels through lands without hotels, sleeping in homes she finds along the way and leading a mule she cannot load. Her descriptions are lively, beautiful, and often humorous.

On the last lap I passed a big British War Cemetery and gazed into it enviously, feeling that a cemetery rather than a hotel was the obvious resting place for anyone in my condition.

Ethiopia's landscape is intimately learned when traveling by foot. Ms. Murphy often traveled by barely perceptible tracks through mountain passes and river valleys. Her joy was as much in the physical struggle to trek each day as it was in the physical beauty surrounding her.

Then quickly a faint pink flowed up from the hidden horizon -- giving mountains and valley a new, soft, shadowed beauty -- and soon this had deepened to a red-gold glow which seemed briefly to hold all the splendour of all the dawns that ever were. To lie beneath such a sky, surrounded by such peaks, brings an almost intolerably intense awareness of the duality of our nature. We belong to intimately and joyously and tragically to this physical world, and by its own laws we soon must leave it. Yet during these moments one knows, too, with humility and certainty, that each human spirit is immortal -- for time cannot destroy whatever element within us reverences the glory of a dawn in the mountains.

Later, as she travels around Lake Tana, her descriptions are reminiscent of the treks through Africa by the likes of Stanley and Livingstone.

Twenty minutes later I had discovered that the 'grassy plain' was a peculiarly hellish semi-swamp. Apart from patches of black mud, in which we occasionally sank to our knees, the vegetation was diabolical. Thick, wiry grass grew shadow-high, the stiff, dense reeds were seven to nine feet tall, and a slim, five-foot growth, which looked dead, had such powerfully resilient thorny branches that I soon began to imagine it was deliberately thwarting me.

Ms. Murphy is at her best when she writes of her lonely hikes and the harsh beauty of Ethiopia. Her forays into religion and culture are more difficult to reconcile to a modern reader. Though she is less colonial than earlier writers, the 1960s are still a long way to the modern conception of equality. It's difficult to know how much of her comments on Ethiopia arise from her own impressions and assumptions and how much might be accurate if we looked at economic development and historical records of the 1960s.

She often writes disparagingly of the efforts to bring Ethiopia into the modern world with technology and education. Though I personally found her statements bemoaning these efforts to be excessive, I think there is room to consider what the relationship between a more technologically advanced society and one less so should be. How lovely it would be to share what is good and beneficial and somehow withhold that which is polluting or alienating. Ms. Murphy seems to think every bit of shared culture will only inflict damage on the people of Ethiopia.

What damage are we doing, blindly and swiftly, to those races who are being taught that because we are materially richer we must be emulated without question? What compels us to infect everyone else with our own sick urgency to change, soften and standardize? How can we have the effrontery to lord it over peoples who retain what we have lost -- a sane awareness that what matters most is immeasurable?

I heard something similar in our local town recently, though I think precluding participation in a world economy is not possible, even if it were preferable. More to the point, Ms. Murphy's own experiences, however, dramatically show the suffering of Ethiopian people without access to sanitation and health care. It seems inconceivable that she would really insist we withhold such medical and institutional advances that might improve health and well-being.

If you are considering sharing this book with your students, be aware Ms. Murphy has some disparaging comments on the Ethiopians Church. For example:

Lamas rarely encourage bigotry and racial arrogance -- as Ethiopian Coptic priests frequently do, by teaching that Ethiopian Christians are the only true Christians in the whole world. This defect is not exclusive to Coptic priests, but it is extra-pernicious in such a remote land, where a pathetic national superiority complex tends to run wild for lack of sobering comparisons with other nations.

She admits ignorance of the church, but comments on it anyway. She also describes the celebration of a church feast that, according to the author, included widespread and accepted infidelity. True? Misconception? Misunderstanding? There's no way to know.

There are a few other unconventional situations, such as that of a joint temporary wife, who "seems happy in her new role."

The n-word appears once, as a descriptive adjective for a color. The author engages frequently in rather unsafe behavior, like eating wild mushroom even after local children told her they were poisonous. She is robbed multiple times and is often in physical danger.

This is one of the alternate books for Geography - either as a substitute for the travel or adventure memoir or as free-reading to bulk up the course. Apparently I love geography because I have bulked up our course substantially with mapping exercises and three assigned books in addition to the travel and earth studies books. I think this book would be a good replacement for The Flame Trees of Thika, if you had a mature student more interested in high adventure than a child's memoir, especially for someone with hiking and climbing experience. In general, I prefer The Flame Trees of Thika. I think it's an easier read for students who might feel overwhelmed by the heavy Mater Amabilis™ schedule. It also seemed less critical of life in Africa, more just descriptive and accepting. While In Ethiopia with a Mule introduces some interesting topics for discussion like economic development in Africa, it does so in a brash and derogatory way, often sentimentally praising the traditional life of the Ethiopians while simultaneously presenting it as filthy and unhealthy. It is a complicated book.

For our homeschool, I'm going to keep Four Years in Paradise as our travel or adventure memoir. In Ethiopia with a Mule will be listed as a third term read. My student can choose between it, The Flame Trees of Thika, and Out of Africa. These are recorded only in a reading journal with brief notes for each chapter (who did what and sometimes why). I'm fairly certain First Son will choose The Flame Trees of Thika based solely on the size of the printing and the number of pages. First Daughter may happily read all of the above.

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review. I purchased In Ethiopia with a Mule used. Links above to Amazon are affiliate links.

Context for All the Books: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (The Great Courses)

by Patrick N. Allitt

We've been immersed in Mater Amabilis™ for over ten years now. Repeatedly in that time, there have been issues raised with recommended books and Charlotte Mason herself regarding attitudes toward non-Western people and the history of England. This course has helped me put vast amounts of those readings in context. Professor Allitt came of age as the British Empire disintegrated and therefore is able to provide a personal story alongside the historical context. He touches on all aspects of the Empire, including the American colonies, the spread of cricket, and two lectures on some of the relationships between British literature and the Empire. (He pointed out some details in Jane Austen's novels I would never have connected with the Empire. Guess I'll have to read them again!) Many of the lectures touch on important milestones and attitudes that continue to impact world relations today. Quotes from primary sources intersperse all the lectures.

I think you could substitute this lecture series for Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples in Level 5 (the abridged one). You would lose the early British history and Churchill's sardonic wit, but it would probably be easier than reading Churchill. You might also read Churchill to the end of his book, then pick up this lecture series to follow just the decline of the Empire. If you wanted an honors level course, I think Churchill and this series would fit marvelously together.

The PDF included in an Audible purchase includes recommended reading for each lecture and questions to consider, some of which would make excellent exam or essay questions.

Another option might be to use a subset of the lectures either in history or geography courses.

America / The New World

Lecture Two: The Challenge to Spain in the New World
Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Six: Wolfe and the Conquest of Canada
Lecture Seven: The Loss of the American Colonies
Lecture Eighteen: How Canada Became a Nation
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

Africa

Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Eleven: Abolition of the Slave Trade and Slavery
Lecture Twelve: Early African Colonies
Lecture Nineteen: The Exploration and Settlement of Africa
Lecture Twenty: Gold, Greed, and Geopolitics in Africa
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal
Lecture Thirty-Two: The Decolonization of Africa

Asia

Lecture Four: Imperial Beginnings in India
Lecture Five: Clive and the Conquest of India
Lecture Thirteen: China and the Opium Wars
Lecture Sixteen: India and the "Great Game"
Lecture Seventeen: Rebellion and Mutiny in India
Lecture Twenty-Seven: British India between the World Wars
Lecture Thirty: Twilight of the Raj
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal

Australia / New Zealand

Lecture Eight: Exploring the Planet
Lecture Ten: The Other Side of the World
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

This is one of my favorite courses from The Great Courses. I enjoyed it immensely and would happily listen to it all over again.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. I purchased this course during one of Audible's recent two-for-one sales. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

One Man in Africa: Stanley

Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer

by Tim Jeal

I found this book in our library catalog when I was trying to find the location of a former village along Henry Morgan Stanley's route along the Lualaba River for First Daughter's study guide for A Book of Discovery. (I have made the study guide available in the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group.) It has excellent and informative maps at the beginning of the book.

Intrigued by the snippets I read, I packed it for our camping trip to the Rocky Mountains despite its heft at over 500 pages.

Tim Jeal has written an exhaustive biography of Stanley, drawing extensively on personal letters and diaries not available to earlier biographers. Stanley's often bewildering behavior as an explorer and writer come into better focus with a deeper understanding of his early life.

The author also addresses the kinds of qualms modern readers have when confronted with the events and actions of European explorers in Africa.

The sensitivity of the early twenty-first-century observer to racial questions makes judging the actions of nineteenth-century explorers with objectivity and fairness extremely difficult.

He goes on to place some of the violence of Stanley and other Europeans in context. Not that we should dismiss those actions as less appalling than they were, but that we should understand how they viewed those actions and how the Africans may have viewed them. Stanley himself saw clearly the chief problem with the entire situation, as quoted by Jeal:

Yet Stanley also put his finger on the central weakness of his own position. 'We went into the heart of Africa self-invited -- therein lies our fault.' 

One of the main themes of the book deals with the question of Stanley's involvement in the beginning of the disastrous Belgium occupation of the Congo. Teal persuasively shows Stanley's ignorance of King Leopold II's plans for the Congo. Throughout his time in Africa, his actions were focused on a effort to convince Britain to restrict the Arab slave trade, which started much earlier than the Atlantic trade and continued for much longer.

Of course, the argument that the slave trade could only be tackled if Africa were to be colonized offered a convenient justification for the politicians, businessmen and adventurers engaged in the 'Scramble for Africa' for purposes of prestige and financial gain. But Stanley's desire to destroy the slave trade was not a cynical stratagem.  

Later, Teal writes about Stanley's involvement in political pressure to maintain and increase British investment in Uganda to support missionaries and protect the African people there from a vicious threat from another group.

Few people can claim that events they have set in train have helped transform a great political party and changed their nation's intentions towards a whole continent, but from 1892 the workhouse boy could do just that, as could the self-made shipping tycoon. [Mackinnon, a friend of Stanley]

I'm currently listening to one of The Great Courses on audiobook, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, in which Professor Patrick Allitt argues that despite atrocities and disasters within the British colonies in Africa, there were also benefits. I would say the eventual end of the Arab slave trade in eastern Africa is one of those.

With the benefit of hindsight, we know that colonialism had some disastrous consequences: the millions who died in Leopold's Congo, the badly drawn borders causing future conflicts, the German massacre of the Hereros, the Italian genocide in Libya, and British crimes committed while suppressing the Kenyan Mau Mau insurrection. So we virtuously condemn those who did not see these things coming many decades before they actually came to pass. 

I found this book a fantastic help in understanding better what really happened in Africa during the time of European exploration. After reading in our school books like A Book of Discovery about people like Stanley, I appreciated being able to put those stories in historical and cultural perspective, especially in a way that allowed me to continue to appreciate the strength and courage of a man like Stanley, even if his way of life would no longer be tenable in a modern world.

This is a long book, probably too long for most high schoolers as a supplement to the Mater Amabilis™ Level 5 Geography course on Africa. Very interested students may find it fascinating, however. In addition to the expected references to violent and disturbing acts, Tim Jeal unashamedly discusses extra-marital and other unconventional relationships, some coerced or enslaved. Violence is an inherent part of Stanley's life in Africa, but these and other incidents are described in circumspect and dignified ways; this isn't a lurid biography and, in some ways, counteracts the effects of earlier attempts to associate Stanley with those kinds of anecdotes.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post, which contains only my honest opinions. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

More Lovely Writing on Africa: Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass

Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass

by Isak Dinesen

Out of Africa is one of the optional additional reading book suggestions for tenth grade Geography in the Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans (Level 5 Year 2).

Just like every other European living in or visiting Africa in her time (She lived in Kenya from 1914 to 1931), she is a product of her time. Much of the writing in the book would be deemed blatant racism by today's standards, but it wasn't when she wrote it. She often treats African people as if they are obviously inferior to Europeans, even when introduced to European technology. She compares them to both children and to wild animals.

However, in general Ms. Dinesen seems more sympathetic to Africans than others like Charlotte Mason does in her geography book. She lived among them for about fifteen years and learned Swahili so was able to converse in a relatively direct way. She often writes about how circumspect they could be, refusing to answer questions or explain behaviors, which is interesting even though it made mutual understanding more difficult. She includes many details about the African people on her farm and in the preserve bordering it that illuminate their lives, at least as they were in this time of European colonization.

Her writing about the country is wonderful. She loved her farm and that love shows in her words.

The great vault over our heads was gradually filled with clarity like a glass with wine. Suddenly, gently, the summits of the hill caught the first sunlight and blushed. And slowly, as the earth leaned towards the sun, the grassy slopes at the foot of the mountain turned a delicate gold, and the Masai woods lower down. And now the tops of the tall trees in the forest, on our side of the river, blushed like copper.

She was a hunter. One chapter includes a glowing and powerful description of one of her lion kills which may be distressing to a sensitive reader.

Ms. Denisen writes movingly of leave-taking when she is forced to sell her coffee farm.

Shadows on the Grass is a later memoir, touching on her years under Nazi occupation during World War II and her intermittent correspondence with those she left behind in Africa. It is not as long or detailed as Out of Africa. If you were only to choose one to assign or offer to a high schooler for African geography, Out of Africa is the better choice.

I've included this as an optional book on First Son's geography reading list for the year. I'm not sure he'd like it as much as The Flame Trees of Thika as it's longer, more feminine (you can almost imagine the young girl in The Flame Trees of Thika as either a boy or a girl), and more mature in its descriptions and topics. I think I also like The Flame Trees of Thika more, but since we own them, I have left the decision up to him. (I also have In Ethiopia with a Mule. Though I haven't finished reading it, it's also on his list as an option.)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinions. I requested this book from PaperBackSwap.com (affiliate link). Links to Amazon in this post are affiliate links.

Egypt in Stories: The History of Ancient Egypt

The History of Ancient Egypt

by Bob Brier

This is a fantastic series of 48 lectures, each one around thirty minutes long. Professor Brier starts with the earliest records of humans in the Nile delta and follows the Egyptian civilization up to the Roman conquest and the death of Cleopatra, focusing mainly on the elite and pharaohs.

The professor is not a Christian, but he has two fascinating lectures on the two most famous Hebrews of Egypt: Joseph and Moses. His treatment is refreshingly positive, showing how the people and civilization described in the Biblical narrative is, if nothing else, accurate as far as we can tell from archaeological evidence.

I do think he mistakenly attributes the "idea" of a single omnipotent God to Akhenaten. While Akhenaten did turn away from the hundreds of Egyptian deities, his devotion to One God was hidden by the priests of Egypt and did not contribute to the growth of the Hebrew religion following the time of Abraham.

I listened to this course because the three younger children will study ancient Egypt at the beginning of the school year (Connecting with History volume 1) while the oldest will study Africa in his geography course. I always enjoy expanding my own background knowledge even though it's not really necessary. After listening to a few lectures, I started to consider sharing the whole course with the kids. After a few more, I convinced myself it was just too much and would take us years to get through the whole thing. But by the end, I was swayed. It's really too excellent not to share, especially when Second Daughter is completely fascinated by ancient Egypt. So I think we will listen to them together while riding in the van. We may take breaks for other books if we're overwhelmed and it will certainly take more than the few weeks of the ancient Egypt unit, but it's worth it.

For those who are considering sharing it as well, you can use just some lectures. While they build on each other, each one can stand on its own. Please be aware the lectures are meant for adult or mature listeners so there are some off-hand comments that may be surprising for younger listeners, though mostly they'd probably be ignored or not understood.

There are two lectures that deserve special attention and probably a pre-listen. Lecture 17 (Queen Hatshepsut) refers to her intimate relationship with a man who was not her husband, including descriptions of graffiti depicting them together in...disreputable circumstances. Lecture 33 (The Decline of Dynasty XIX) describes Merneptah’s unusual method of counting the Libyans killed in a battle. Often they would cut off one of the hands, but in this case they might have wanted to prove they were fighting men. It's more than just a brief mention of the episode.

I purchased this audiobook, probably during one of the 2-for-1 sales that often include the Great Courses. I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review, but the link to Amazon above is an affiliate link.

Beauty, Adventure, and a Connection to Kansas: Four Years in Paradise

Four Years in Paradise

by Osa Johnson

Osa Johnson is one of my personal heroes. Kansas Dad finds this enormously amusing since (as he says) the only thing we have in common is that we are both white women who lived in Kansas. She married Martin Johnson and travelled the wild Pacific Southwest islands and Africa in the 1930s. She and her husband were photography and videography pioneers. Among other accomplishments, they created the first silent films of the wildlife on the plains of the African Serengeti. Spoiled by modern documentaries, it's impossible for us to imagine how people felt watching herds of elephants, giraffes, and antelopes leaping across a screen. There is a small but fantastic museum dedicated to Martin and Osa Johnson in her hometown of Chanute, Kansas.

This coming school year, First Son will be exploring Africa in his tenth grade geography course. The high school beta plans from Mater Amabilis™ recommend The Flame Trees of Thika for the Travel/Adventure book of Africa, which I read earlier this year. It was lovely and there wasn't really a reason to choose anything else...except...I kept feeling like it wasn't exactly what I wanted. After a while, I realized what I wanted was a book about the Johnsons. I glanced through the options from our library and then read Four Years in Paradise. In it, Osa describes, in a wandering kind of manner, their experiences living in Kenya, near what they called Lake Paradise, filming and photographing the life of Africa.

We were attempting what all but a few regarded as fantastic and impossible, to make an authentic film record of vanishing wild life as it existed in its last and greatest stronghold. And if in some over-civilized future, cities should crowd out the elephants and wars should bomb the giraffes from the plains and the baboons from the treetops, our films would stand--a record for posterity.

Like every European or American in Africa in the 1920s and 1930s, Osa and Martin Johnson brought their own prejudices. Throughout the book, they refer to the African men who worked for them as "boys." Mrs. Johnson often writes disparagingly of their work ethic, though it's clear she respected some of them tremendously. She also sometimes writes about the Africans' natural "savage" state and compares them to children. These kinds of attitudes are pervasive and simply have to be addressed.

Over the years, Mrs. Johnson built a home in the forest complete with garden and multi-course meals every evening. But she also fished and hunted for their meals and protected her husband by covering fire when necessary as he filmed the more dangerous wildlife like lions, elephants, and rhinos.

Below us stood a big bull elephant, knee deep in a pool. He was the very picture of drowsy contentment. Save for the slow swinging of his trunk and the languid fanning of his huge ears, he was almost motionless. His bath was built of great rocks, covered over with beautiful lichen and mosses, green and gray and rusty-red. Floating on the water were large blue and white water lilies. The pool was shaded by magnificent trees festooned with silvery moss. Thousands of butterflies--blue, yellow and white--fluttered around the animal.

First Son will probably not be very interested in the handful of recipes included in the book, but there are plenty of exciting and fascinating stories, revealing the richness of the Johnsons' lives in Africa.

"Life is just too short," Martin went on. "It's a pity we can't live five hundred years with so much beauty to enjoy and so much work to accomplish."

I first borrowed this book from the library. I tried to find a copy to purchase like theirs, in hardcover with photographs, but ended up with one on slightly thinner paper. I hope it lasts through all the kids reading it. As a bonus, it is autographed by Osa Johnson. I linked to a recent paperback version above, but I am not sure it includes the photographs which are a wonderful addition to the text.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. I borrowed this book from the library and then purchased a used copy online. Links above to Amazon are affiliate links.

Charlotte Mason's Geographical Reader for High School Geography: Africa

Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, but just imagine it's the Sahara

I wrote earlier this week on how we fared using Charlotte Mason's Geographical Readers for Elementary Schools Book 5 for ninth grade geography, following the recommendation on the
Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans, available in the high school Facebook group and linked from the Mater Amabilis™ website (scroll down to Levels 5 and 6).

Today I'm going to share what I've planned for next year in tenth grade: Africa.

I did find an alternate book that at least attempted to cover the entire continent: Africa by John Reader. (He has two books with the same name. This one is the companion to the PBS series published by National Geographic.) This book is lavishly illustrated, of course. It divides Africa into chapters based on environment: Savanna, Desert, Rain Forest, Mountains, Sahel, Great Lakes, Coast, and Southern Africa. It covers not just the ecological regions, but history, economics, and current events. Published in 2001, it includes quite a lot on the HIV crisis, the Rwanda genocide, and the end of apartheid in South Africa. All of these lend themselves to updated information using something like the curated articles I gathered for our study of Asia. With only eight sections, even if a student only read half a chapter each week, the study would be a little short. Finally, the writing is just what you might expect from a National Geographic magazine: often quite good but not universally lovely.

So I decided to use Charlotte Mason's Geographical Reader again, but this time I created a study guide that includes excerpts of the text I found most interesting and least offensive. (There's still plenty of room for discussions of parochialism and racism.) There are some marvelous first person accounts of exploration in the first few chapters. If you are following the recommended course of study for Level 5 Year 2 in British History (the second half of Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples), the last few weeks of the year will create an interesting conjunction of the British involvement in South Africa from Churchill and Mason at slightly different points in time.

Because there are only sixteen chapters on Africa in the Mason text and I'm a little crazy, I decided we could use both books.

The study guide I created for Mason's book includes a list of places and locations to mark on maps I printed from D-Maps.com. (Someone posted about this site in our Facebook group; it's a fantastic source for maps.) There are a few notes, then the text of her book (the parts I liked) with annotations on place names, people mentioned, and other things I wanted to qualify. These readings will be narrated. For those that are interested, I have shared this study guide in the Mater Amabilis™ high school Facebook group.

After reading from Mason's book, my son will go to the list of curated articles in his Google drive. I've tried to be very selective, but there are often quite a few required ones as the Mason text is usually shorter. For each required article or site, I've asked him to write a sentence or two in his geography notebook. Then he should select one of them for a more substantial narration (oral or written, his preference). Again, I've shared this list with the Mater Amabilis™ high school Facebook group and will continue to edit and add to it for the next eight years (until my youngest finishes tenth grade).

The study guide I wrote for Reader's book includes a similar mapping activity for each chapter. In addition, I've included definitions for quite a few words I thought might be unfamiliar to a high school student (at least my tenth grader). To integrate this book with Mason, we'll be reading the chapters out of order. I think you could skip some of them, too. Because these chapters are substantially longer, I have not assigned any curated articles on these weeks. I did include some in appropriate places that cover topics surfaced by this book like HIV and De Beers mining activities. This book will be narrated, but we'll see how it goes. Each chapter covers quite a lot of material and it might work best to focus on just one part for a narration. I will share this study guide in the Facebook group as well.

When labeling maps, my son will use our atlas, which is an older version of the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World.

I also intend to have First Son read a travel/adventure book on Africa once each week. I'm still deciding what that will be.

Finally, First Son will choose one book each term to read as supplemental African geography. These will not be narrated, merely enjoyed. There might be some conversations about them arising naturally, but no exams or anything. For the most part, these are pulled from the optional list included in the Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans and rely heavily on books I already owned or could get easily.

I think if you were looking to simplify, you could use either Mason's text or Reader's text. With either one, I'd encourage including map work and contemporary articles. The chapters in Reader's book could easily be divided in half to spread the study out a bit. We're doing this year of study in tenth grade, but there's no reason it couldn't also be done in one of the other high school years. There are some topics best for mature readers like genocide, horrors of the slave trade, terrorism, and HIV.

Just in case anyone is interested in following our schedule, I'm including it below.

Week 1

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Introduction (Mason Study Guide) and Introduction (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Introduction

Week 2

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Africa (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Africa

Week 3

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Dr. Livingstone’s Discoveries in South Africa (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Dr. Livingstone’s Discoveries in South Africa

Week 4

Reading Assignment (narrate) - African Village Life (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - African Village Life

Week 5

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Dr. Livingstone on the Condition of South Africa (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Dr. Livingstone on the Condition of South Africa

Week 6

Reading Assignment (narrate) - The Discoveries of Captains Burton, Speke, Grant &c. (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - off week

Week 7

Reading Assignment (narrate) - off week

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - The Discoveries of Captains Burton, Speke, Grant &c.

Week 8

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Abyssinia (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Abyssinia

Week 9

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Mountain (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 10

Selections from Christian History issue 105 (linked in the Mater Amabilis™ plans). Write a brief paragraph on two. Choose one for a longer written narration.
- A tour of ancient Africa pp 9-13
- From Abba Salama to King Lalibela pp 18-21
- See how these Christians love one another pp 29-33

Week 11

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Savanna (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

quiz next week on what you've covered so far: Mason (through Abyssinia), Reader (Mountain, Savanna), Christian History articles

Week 12

Quiz #1:
- Mason: Introduction, Africa, Dr. Livingstone's Discoveries, African Village Life, Condition of South Africa, Discoveries of Captains Burton etc., Abyssinia  (and related curated articles)
- Reader: Moutain, Savanna

- Christian History articles

Week 13

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Egypt Part I (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Egypt Part I

Week 14

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Egypt Part II and Egypt Part III (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Egypt Part II and Egypt Part III

Week 15

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Up the Nile (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Up the Nile

Week 16

Reading Assignment (narrate) - The Soudan (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - The Soudan

Week 17

Reading Assignment (narrate) - The Soudan (continued) (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - The Soudan (continued)

Week 18

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Sahel (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 19

Letters from Niger (These are prayer letters written by friends of ours who are missionaries in Niger. If you're not lucky enough to know these amazing people or others serving God in Africa, just skip it.)

You don’t have to read every letter, but read a handful from different times and consider what life is like in southern Niger. Tell what you've learned (oral or written narration).

Week 20

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Rainforest (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 21

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Sahara (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Sahara

Week 22

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Desert (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 23

Reading Assignment (narrate) - The Barbary States (Mason Study Guide

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - off week

Week 24

Reading Assignment (narrate) - off week

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - The Barbary States

Quiz next week on Mason (Egypt through Barbary States), Reader (Sahel, Rainforest, Desert), and Christians in Niger

Week 25

Quiz #2:
- Mason: Egypt Parts I, II, and III, Up the Nile, The Soudan, Sahara, Barbary Statess (and related curated articles)
- Reader: Sahel, Rainforest, Desert

- Christians in Niger (prayer letters)

Week 26

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Great Lakes (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 27

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Coast (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 28

Reading Assignment (narrate) - South Africa (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - South Africa

Week 29

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Cape Colony (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - Cape Colony

Week 30

Reading Assignment (narrate) - Southern Africa (John Reader's Africa Study Guide)

Week 31

Reading Assignment (narrate) - The Islands Round Africa (Mason Study Guide)

Curated Articles (write 1-2 sentences for each link; choose one for a narration) - The Islands Round Africa

Quiz next week: Mason (South Africa through Islands Round Africa), Reader (Great Lakes, Coast, Southern Africa)

Week 32

Quiz #3:
- Mason: South Africa, Cape Colony, The Islands Round Africa (and related curated articles)

- Reader: Great Lakes, Coast, Southern Africa


This post contains my own opinions. I have received nothing in exchange for writing it. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

A Child in Kenya: The Flame Trees of Thika

The Flame Trees of Thika

by Elspeth Huxley

The Flame Trees of Thika is the suggested travel or adventure book for Africa in Level 5 Year 2 (tenth grade) in the Mater Amabilis™ high school beta plans (available in the high school Facebook group).

It's a memoir of the brief time the author lived in Kenya with her parents as colonial settlers from Britain in the early 1900s, until life was interrupted by World War I. Her youth and naivety allow her to unabashedly share the vibrant wildlife and tribal life. Beautifully written, it evokes a past era, one we may be able to appreciate as we also learn to recognize its mistakes and prejudices.

For until you actually saw it and travelled across it on foot or on horseback or in a wagon, you could not possibly grasp the enormous vastness of Africa.

Because it is a memoir of colonial times, many of the relationships between the white settlers and the Africans may be unsettling for modern readers. There are also a few instances of language we would consider exceptionally insulting and degrading. High schoolers, especially homeschooled students, who may be unfamiliar with this kind of language, may need to be explicitly taught about these kinds of words and their meaning in today's world.

The writing is beautiful:

The sunset was, indeed, spectacular. The whole western sky was aflame with the crimson of the heart of a rose. Deep-violet clouds were stained and streaked with red, and arcs of lime-green and saffron-yellow swept across the heavens. It was all on such a scale that the whole world might have been burning.

Though a young child, she was allowed to wander quite a lot. Her memories of the natural world of her youth perfectly suit a Charlotte Mason homeschooler comparing life in Africa with his or her own life.

One morning I surprised two dikdik in the glade, standing among grass that countless quivering cobwebs had silvered all over, each one -- and each strand of every cobweb -- beaded with dew. It was amazing to think of all the untold millions of cobwebs in all the forest glades, and all across the bush and plains of Africa, and of the number of spiders, more numerous even than the stars, patiently weaving their tents of filament to satisfy their appetites, and of all the even greater millions of flies and bees and butterflies that must go to nourish them; and for what end, no one could say. 

There is little excitement in the book. She's too young to participate in many of the big adventures like a lion hunt. The book records a child's daily life and her views of the farm and African people. There's not much plot or even much closure at the ending, just the wistful hope of a young girl to return to Africa after the war. She does return; her memoir continues in The Mottled Lizard, which I haven't read.

This was a lovely book to read. I haven't decided yet if it's going to be assigned reading for tenth grade. The plans recommend this as a travel or adventure book that would be read and narrated once a week. I'm more inclined to assign it as independent reading without narration (though we do use a reading journal, so there would be a few words jotted down...First Son uses the fewest words he possibly can...with abbreviations). I think I'd like to find something more "adventurous" but so far the few options I've skimmed from our library are a bit too adventurous - violent adventures and survival stories.

This post contains my own opinions. I have received nothing in exchange for writing it, though the links to Amazon above are affiliate links. I requested my copy through PaperBackSwap.com (another affiliate link).

Reading Around the World in Picture Books 2014-2015: Africa

These are the picture books we read when Reading Around the World with a focus on the continent of Africa. Oh so long ago, my children were in fifth grade, second grade, kindergarten, and diapers. My fifth grader usually did not sit with us while we read these books, but he was around and they hung out with our library books for the full month we had them.

** I've used these two asterisks to mark the books we enjoyed most of all.

The Storytellers by Ted Lewin (Morocco) tells of Abdul and his grandfather in the market in Fez, Morocco, lavishly illustrated by Lewin. (His illustrations always make me want to travel.) (library copy)

The Butter Man by Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou, illustrated by Julie Klear Essakalli (Morocco), is a story of hunger told within a loving family. It's authentic and touching. Though young children may be distressed to hear of a hungry child, it's good to introduce these themes to children over time so they understand our obligations to care for all people. (library copy)

** Mirror by Jeannie Baker (Australia and Morocco) - Baker shows a family in Australia on the left and, turning pages the other way, a family in Morocco on the right. The illustrations are beautiful and I love how she attempts to show the similarities and differences between the families in an understanding way. (library copy)

Ali, Child of the Desert by Jonathan London, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Morocco), is the story of a young boy who is separated from this father in a sandstorm while traveling in a caravan. He is offered hospitality and invaluable aid by a Berber and his grandson. (library copy)

Bintou's Braids by Sylviane A. Diouf, illustrated by Shane W. Evans (West Africa), is told in the voice of young Bintou who desperately wants braids for her short fuzzy hair. At the baptism of her baby brother, she sees all the other women and their beautiful braids, and wanders off sadly only to discover boys in need of help. Her quick thinking earns her some beautifully decorated hair of her own. This is a sweet book for young girls with all kinds of hair. (library copy)

** Tug of War by John Burningham (Nigeria) is a retelling of a Nigerian folktale of wisdom and strength, and inspiring lots of laughter. (library copy)

** The Hatseller and the Monkeys retold and illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite (West Africa) - Many may be more familiar with this tale as it is shown in Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, but I love this West African version. The illustrations are delightful. (library copy)

** I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Pende Diakite, illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite (Mali) is a book written by the illustrator's daughter, hoping desperately to lose her tooth while she's visiting extended family in Africa so the African tooth fairy will bring her a chicken. It's a nearly perfect book for showing children in America what family life and love looks like in Mali. (library copy)

My Baby by Jeanette Winter (Mali) tells of a woman making a bogolan, a cloth painted with mud, for her baby, depicting the natural world in the painting. (library copy)

** Rain School by James Rumford (Chad), written by a man who taught school in Chad when a member of the Peace Corps, tells of a school built by the community at the beginning of the year that is broken down by the seasonal rains after nine months. It's a celebration of education, beautifully illustrated. (library copy)

** My Name Is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Catherine Stock (Sudan and the United States), is the story of a young boy who immigrates to the United States to escape the war in Sudan that killed his father. Bewildered by his new surroundings, he finds it impossible to explain to his new classmates how to properly pronounce his name...until he discovers a creative solution. Catherine Stock's illustrations are wonderful, as always. The themes of the book are a big deeper and harsher than most picture books, but I think the value is worth the risk. Read ahead and decide for your own family. (library copy)

** The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa by Christina Kessler, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins (Ethiopia), is the story of Almaz, a girl who wants to keep bees and collect the best honey. Turned away by the male beekeepers of her village, she is encouraged by the young Orthodox priest. It's a brilliant book of problem-solving and perseverance. (library copy)

The Perfect Orange: A Tale from Ethiopia by Frank P. Araujo, illustrations by Xiao Jun Li (Ethiopia), is a tale of a young girl who travels to her ruler to share with him a perfect orange. Her generosity is rewarded while the greed of another is thwarted. (library copy)

Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber, illustrated by Scott Mack (Kenya and Somalia), is the story of an orphan who shows himself to be adept at caring for camels and in so doing finds a place for himself in the world. (library copy)

** Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Liberia), is a fun tale describing how arms, legs, a head, and a boy joined together. (library copy)

** Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Liberia), is the hilarious story of a chicken who outwits a crocodile. (library copy)

** Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Liberia), is a tale of wisdom and goodness, wonderfully illustrated. (library copy)

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes (West Africa), is based on a true story of a young boy who takes out a loan to buy a hen, the beginning of a flourishing egg business. It's text-heavy for younger children, but a fascinating introduction to micro-loans for older elementary students. I also ask my children to read this book in third grade when they do a little financial literacy study. (library copy)

The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth by Margaret Musgrove, illustrated by Julia Cairns (Ghana), is a brilliantly illustrated origin tale of kente cloth, common in many African nations. (library copy)

** The Village that Vanished by Ann Grifalconi, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (unspecified country or area), features a young girl who courageously leads all the people of her village across a hidden bridge to escape marauders searching for people to sell as slaves. The text is a bit long but it's worthwhile for those ready for it as it portrays some of the fear and tragedy of slavery in a successful escape from it altogether. Nelson's realistic illustrations are presented uninterrupted by the text, which appears on white space next to them. (library copy)

** Once Upon a Time written and illustrated by Niki Daly (South Africa), is the sweet story of a young girl who struggles to read but flourishes in the imaginary escapades with her Auntie Anna. With perseverance and practice under the supporting gaze of her Auntie, she succeeds in achieving fluency. The setting of this book gives glimpses into life in Africa while connecting us with the familiar school setting. (Even though we homeschool!) (library copy)

Mama Wangari (Kenya) is an inspiring woman who deserves a place in any picture book study of Africa. She attended college in Kansas which gives us an even more personal connection here on the Range. There are quite a few books featuring her life and work. In addition to reading a few picture books, we watched this video (more than once).

** Seeds of Change: Wangari's Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, is probably my favorite, if you can only read one, though young children may tire of the amount of text. The colorful illustrations will delight children of all ages. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is a more lyrical book with less details. The illustrations fill the pages with vibrant color. Even I enjoy looking through this book again and again. Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter, is less detailed story with more gaps. The illustrations are not as lavish as those of Nelson, simpler but suited to the setting. (all library copies)

** The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore with collages by Susan L. Roth (Eritrea), tells the true story of a scientist who guided the people of a village to improve their lives by planting mangrove trees. Ecology, botany, creativity, generosity, and perseverance...all presented in poetic repetitive text for younger listeners and more detailed text for older readers. The collages contrast the bright clothes of the villagers against the browns of the land before it's transformation. (library copy)

** The Most Important Gift of All by David Conway, illustrated by Karin Littlewood (unspecified, but I think Kenya),  is a beautifully illustrated book about a little girl who goes in search of love to give to her new baby brother. It's African, but her family is as lovely a family as you'd want to meet anywhere. (library copy)

** My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tolowa M. Mollel, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Tanzania), is one of my favorite picture books and also appears in our third grade literacy study. It's about family and perseverance, prudence and joy. Read it! (library copy)

First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch (Kenya) is an encounter between a Maasai boy and a Kikyua boy, from two cultures who employ land differently and yet find common ground. It is an decent story for the presentation of overcoming differences, but the illustrations are merely adequate. (library copy)

** Ah, then we read the Elizabeti books, just wonderful books! Elizabeti's Doll, Mama Elizabeti, and Elizabeti's School by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illustrated by Christy Hale (Tanzania), all feature Elizabeti and are definitely among our favorite pictures books! (We own Elizabeti's Doll and checked the other two out from the library)

** The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, pictures by Elizabeth Zunon (Malawi), is based on the true inspiring story of a young boy in Africa who builds a windmill from scraps to power a light bulb using only his ingenuity and a book from the library after he's been forced to leave school. I love the illustrations for this book, a combination of collage and paintings. For those who want to learn more, the middle grade book of the same name is also excellent. (library copy)

** How the Guinea Foul Got Her Spots retold and illustrated by Barbara Knutson (a Swahili tale) - another favorite picture book. (library copy)

Jamela's Dress, Happy Birthday, Jamela, and Where's Jamela?, all by Niki Daly (South Africa) share the life of Jamela in a sweet fun way, especially for little girls. She gets into exactly the kind of trouble an American girl might find, but always manages to come out on top. There are other Jamela books as well, but these are the ones our library had. (library copies)


** Where Are You Going, Manyomi? by Catherine Stock (Zimbabwe) is one of my absolute favorite books! You can find the book online here. (owned, from a member at PaperBackSwap.com)

** Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe (Zimbabwe, mostly) is like a fairy tale in which the more generous daughter receives her just reward. My daughter loved this book so much, she insisted we buy our copy, albeit a much loved and repaired one from a library book sale. (owned)

Gugu's House by Catherine Stock (Zimbabwe) is another Catherine Stock book, this one sharing the beautiful painting and sculpture of Gugu, Kukamba's grandmother, as well as a story of recovery. It's based on an inspiring woman in Zimbabwe. (library copy)

The Herd Boy by Niki Daly (South Africa) tells the story of a day in the life of a young goat herder. We see his world and his bravery, and his dream of being president. (library copy)

Under the Baobab Tree by Julie Stiegemeyer, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (unspecified, but maybe southern Africa) is mostly the musings of a brother and sister as they walk through the African countryside for a gathering "under the baobab tree." We see a bit of what sometimes happens under the tree and therefore glimpses into the lives of the Africans who live near-by. In the end, they are gathering to worship God. (library copy)

We also read a book of poetry called Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa and Other Talking Drum Rhymes by Uzo Unobagha, illustrated by Julia Cairns. The poet was born and raised in Africa and the illustrator lived in Botswana for nine years. It's a lovely book we've enjoyed many times.

I'm sure there are many new picture books set in African countries. When I was first putting this list together, I copied a list of all the countries in Africa and then searched our library catalog for each country's name. That's how I found most of these books. Do that yourself and you'll find not only potentially lovely new picture books, but a wealth of picture books set in Africa you can check out of your library for only the cost of your taxes, which you've already paid!

The links above are all affiliate links to Amazon, which means if you click on one, put something in your cart, and order it within a specified length of time (whatever Amazon decides), I receive a small commission. You can also find these books by searching by title on Amazon or at your library.