Ayobami and the Names of the Animals

Book excerpt: Winner of the 2018 International Latino Book Awards “In this beautiful gem about a girl who wants to learn to read, letters burst forth from imagery done in cut-paper collage and a rainbow of color, each page telling its own story with a quiet, understated voice.” — B.C. (New York Times) The war is over and little Ayobami can finally go to school. Everyone is extremely happy, and joy is all over the town. The children are excited to go to school and have a great time, but Ayobami is so impatient that she cannot wait for the other kids and decides to go to class alone. To keep her from getting lost, Ayobami’s father builds a paper boat and pushes it out into the river, telling her, "If you follow it downstream, you will arrive at the schoolhouse.” But when the ship sinks, Ayobami must find another way to school through the winding paths of the jungle. With only the help of a paper and a spent pencil, Ayobami sets off on an exciting journey with a fundamental objective: to learn to read and write. Will the wild animals from the jungle allow her to reach her destination safely?