Nana Akua Goes to School by Walker, Tricia Elam

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.

Author: Tricia Elam Walker
Publisher: Anne Schwartz Books
Published: 06/16/2020
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 10.70h x 10.80w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780525581130
Age Range: 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508741 / Nana Akua Goes to School

Award: Ezra Jack Keats Book Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/15/2020 pg. 73
Publishers Weekly 04/27/2020
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2020 pg. 113
School Library Journal 06/01/2020 pg. 54
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2020
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2020
Shelf Awareness 06/16/2020
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Tricia Elam Walker is the author of the novel Breathing Room, among other publications. She is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer, cultural and fashion commentator, and blogger who has written for National Public Radio, the Washington Post, Essence magazine, HuffPost, and more. She practiced law for sixteen years prior to teaching writing in Washington, DC, and Boston. Tricia is an assistant professor of Creative Writing at Howard University and is working on several projects, including children's books, plays, and a second novel.

April Harrison, a renowned folk artist, is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning illustrator of Patricia C. McKissack's final picture book, What Is Given from the Heart, which received four starred reviews and which the New York Times Book Review called an "exquisite story of generosity." Her work appears in the public collections of Vanderbilt University, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and the Erskine University Museum and in many private collections. Learn more at aprilsonggallery.com.