[picturebooks, Africa] Tololwa M. Mollel

[hermionesviolin]

When I was lamenting the dearth of picturebooks set in Africa not written by white folks, my friend Maura C recommended Tololwa Mollel (a Black man from Tanzania) and Ifeoma Onyefulu (a Black woman from Nigeria).

I started with Mollel, ILLing all (16) books by him that my library system has #completionist

Most of his books are retellings of traditional folktales, though some are based on his experience growing up on his grandparents' coffee farm in northern Tanzania in the 1960s.

My favorites were probably:

• Kitoto the Mighty (illustrated by Kristi Frost) -- a mouse seeks the most powerful being to protect him from the hawk
  
• Subira, Subira (illustrated by Linda Saport) -- a girl struggles to get her younger brother to behave
  
• Big Boy (illustrated by E.B. Lewis) -- a Tanzanian boy wishes he were bigger ... but what if his wish were granted?
  
• Song Bird (illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger) -- girl saves the day! (okay, magical song bird saves the day, but the girl keeps the grownups from messing it up)
  
• To Dinner, For Dinner (illustrated by Synthia Saint James) -- mostly I just love the mole wearing glasses