After Booklist and Kirkus, the School Library Journal !

Excerpt from the review written by Susannah Richards, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic.

"Amadi's experiences are genuine and come across naturally in the narrative. The vibrant illustrations depict the setting and bring richness and depth to the story. An important addition to any library, this offering fills a necessary niche for current-day stories from other cultures and focuses attention on reading as an important and satisfying accomplishment."

Another wonderful review on Saffron Tree

Saffron Tree aims to "bring to you an eclectic mix - children's books from India and the US, and pretty much all over the world that will help children connect to their cultural roots and appreciate other cultures..." 

Follow the link below to read their review of Amadi's Snowman. As I said in the comment section, I had shivers running up and down my back as I read it.

http://www.saffrontree.org/2008/10/amadis-snowman.html

Two great reviews for Amadi's Snowman...

One in none other than the Kirkus Review website!

"Snowmen are not often found in small towns in Nigeria, but Amadi discovers one in, of all places, a book! The elementary-grade boy can do his sums but hates his weekly reading lesson. He wants only to be a trader, an honorable job for an "Igbo man of Nigeria" as he thinks of himself, but his small-businesswoman mother knows that the world is changing and everyone needs an education. Hoping to escape his tutor in the marketplace, he spots Chima, an older boy, actually enjoying a book with a picture that Amadi can't identify. What could be so white and round and have a carrot for a nose? Know-it-all Amadi starts to change his attitude when he realizes that there are things outside of his village life that he wants to learn about. Tokunbo's palette contrasts the bright colors of people's clothing, both contemporary and traditional, with the light-brown muddiness of the village roads and houses in her vigorous paintings. Purposeful, yet without the heavy didacticism of some books on the topic of literacy, this tale shines a welcome light on cultural differences. (Picture book. 5-8)"

And the other one in Foreword Magazine.

Today is a very good day :)

Review on Booklist

Amadi's Snowman got a great review in the July issue of Booklist!

Booklist, 7/1/08, American Library Association
Amadi, an Igbo boy in sun-drenched Nigeria, sees no point in learning 
to read, until he sees a picture of a snowman in a book and is curious 
to find out more. He wants to learn about the far-off country where 
frozen rain falls from the sky - a world so different from his own - 
and the chance to read about it fills him with joy. Children will enjoy 
reading about Amadi's life in the village, depicted in the earth-toned, 
intimate scenes. It's a nice reversal that young children will be able 
to grasp - what looks exotic and faraway to one person is a place where 
someone else lives.

Book Review on PaperTigers' blog

Papertigers has a lovely review of Amadi's Snowman by Janet Brown.