Nana Akua Goes to School
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award! In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother--whose face bears traditional tribal markings--to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for back to school! It is Grandparents Day at Zura's elementary school, and the students are excited to introduce their grandparents and share what makes them special. Aleja's grandfather is a fisherman. Bisou's grandmother is a dentist. But Zura's Nana, who is her favorite person in the world, looks a little different from other grandmas. Nana Akua was raised in Ghana, and, following an old West African tradition, has tribal markings on her face. Worried that her classmates will be scared of Nana--or worse, make fun of her--Zura is hesitant to bring her to school. Nana Akua knows what to do, though. With a quilt of traditional African symbols and a bit of face paint, Nana Akua is able to explain what makes her special, and to make all of Zura's classmates feel special, too.
Reviews with the most likes.
It's Grandparents' Day at Zura's school. Zura loves her Nana Akua and she wants her to come to her school with her, but Zura is worried that Nana will be made fun of because of the marks on her face, marks made by her parents when she was a baby in Africa. Nana is clever and thinks of a wonderful idea to reframe her marks to the class and all goes beautifully.
Oh, I want some Ahdinkra symbols on my face. Who wouldn't love to have a beautiful symbol for “strength and wisdom” or “power and unity” for everyone to see? Lovely story.
