GRANDMA COMES TO STAY
From the First Experiences series
by Ifeoma Onyefulu & photographed by Ifeoma Onyefulu
Onyefulu, a photo-essayist who has introduced young children to Nigeria in titles such as A is for Africa (1993), shifts her attention to Ghana.
Her latest simple books focus on contemporary life, a welcome theme in books for this age. Stephanie is only three, but she shows her visiting Grandma that she can do many things—kick a soccer ball, count and play a traditional drum. Grandma shows Stephanie how to put on a Ghanaian wrapper and head scarf, takes her to see a festival with adult drummers and tells her a folktale about a magic drum. The text is short but choppy, and the photographs are not as striking as in earlier books. They seem more ordinary, but this is what she is trying to accomplish—to demonstrate the universality of growing-up experiences. Another book in the series, Deron Goes to Nursery School (ISBN: 978-1-84507-864-5), chronicles a little boy's first day at nursery school. The materials for building the school, the outdoor paintings and the sleeping mats may be a little different, but everyone will recognize the day’s routines. Useful, if not very exciting. (Informational picture book. 3-5)