DAY 22 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Good Saturday, everyone !

We enter the last week of our blog tour, today. What a journey this is turning out to be. Thank you to everyone for their support, and for passing the word around. Thanks to the buzz, we got a write-up in Publisher's Weekly, yesterday. You can find it at this link.

And today, we visit Annette Gulati, at The Writing Wild Life, to talk about writing spaces and inspirations.

Where in the World is Amadi?

He sure is a busy cricket. After Nigeria, France, the US, Japan, and Italy, Amadi is now in The Hague, Holland, where Maja poses like Amadi on the cover.

Thank you, Maja.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before ; you see more in you than there was before." Clifton Fadiman

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Tomorrow, we share some of the questions from the children around the world. And we'll have our Sunday Trivia. See your then...

DAY 21 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR

Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to our virtual book tour. We have been roaming the world and the kidlit blogosphere for the past three weeks, now, and what a journey this is turning out to be.

Today, Bri, at Bri Meets Books, shares my photo essay "Snapshots of My Life in India." You can also find Bri's earlier review of Amadi's Snowman, here. 

We then return to The Well Read Child where Jill interviews Dimitrea Tokunbo, the illustrator.

And to add even more colors to today's post, I thought I'd share the story written and illustrated by one of the children at the Vidyaranya High School, in Hyderabad. I love the way she took the existing premise of the story and made it entirely her own.

Amadi's Birthday Party

"Amadi, a Nigerian, was turning 10 next week. So he invited his friends to his birthday party. Six days had pasted Amadi and his mother made sweets, baked a cake, made juice, and blew balloons. Amadi did not know how to read. He thought that reading is not important for birthday parties. Next day, his friends came to his birthday party, they got presents and birthday cards. They played games, ate sweets and ate the cake. They had lots of fun! Amadi opened the cards. He didn't understand anything. There were pictures of people laughing, he thought they were making fun of him because he doesn't know how to read. Then he opened the presents. And saw the instructions of the toys. Then he realized that he could not read. therefore he started learning how to read."

THE END.

Wonderful job, Raziqa ! Thank you.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time." Edwin P. Whipple

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Tomorrow, we visit Annette Gulati's blog, The Writing Wild Life, to talk about writing spaces and inspiration. And we have our regular feature "Where in the World is Amadi?"

See you then...

DAY 20 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR

Hello Everyone,

Today is another special day, as we return to Nigeria, but this time, to Amadi's hometown of Enugu, were I lived for over three years, and were I wrote Amadi's Snowman.

But first, we have a review and a give-away at On My Bookshelf. Visit for a chance to win a copy of Amadi's Snowman.

Done?

We now go to the British School of Enugu, which happens to be the school that my daughter attended while we lived in Nigeria. At the time, they had 50 children in a small three-room house with one bathroom and a tiny kitchen that the headmistress also used as her office. There was a small garden at the back with a few games and an old set of swings.

The school has since moved to a nicer location and we see here the year 5 class, which is the equivalent of the fourth grade in the American system (the children are between 9 and 10) as they discover Amadi's Snowman.



I was able to speak on the phone with their teacher, last night, and when I asked her what the children's reaction to the book was, she reported that they were extremely intrigued by the title and the cover : What could an Igbo boy and a snowman be doing together in a setting that was so

obviously Nigerian? She said that they liked the tension, and were very excited when Amadi discovers the book waiting for him at home, in the end. They were happy for him.

Mrs. Offiah also mentioned that the book offered a wonderful opportunity for the children to discuss and appreciate how lucky they are to be able to go to school and get an education.

Unfortunately, not all the drawings reached me on time. But I have two, showing the itinerary followed by Amadi, during this special day.

And look at that beautiful snowman !

The children had questions for me and for the illustrator. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach Dimitrea Tokunbo on such short notice. But I can answer a few of the questions addressed to me:

1. What is your favorite Nigerian food?

I love the fried plantains, which is why I had Amadi's mother cook this particular dish for dinner. I can also share with you that my daughter Kora, who was 7 months when we arrived in Enugu, and was almost four when we left, absolutely LOVED pounded yam, and she knew how to eat it the right way, too, making a little ball with her fingers, dipping it in the sauce, and eating it up from the wrist up. I preferred to look the other way, honestly, because where I come from, children are scolded for eating with their fingers. We are to use a fork and a knife, as you know. Of course, we are now in India, where people also eat with their right hand, so I have come up with a rule : at home, we eat with a fork and a knife; outside of home, well, I try and go with the flow...

2. Are you coming to visit our school?

Thank you for asking. I feel that in a way, thanks to my book, we have just connected and spent a little time together. Nigeria is not exactly next door for us. But I often think that I should go back to Enugu with Kora, some day. She loved it, there, and it would probably mean a lot to her if she could visit the place where she spent so much time running around and chasing lizards, just like Amadi. Maybe some day...

3. Are other children in other parts of the world excited and/or interested to see an Igbo boy and to learn about Nigeria and Amadi's culture?

If you haven't already, go back one day and read yesterday's post with Florin, Aisha and Shali's letter to Amadi. And now that you've also seen the drawings and pictures of the children in India, the US and Haiti (as well as all the other pictures of children around the world) you know that Amadi has been traveling quite a bit. So, the answer to your question is a resounding YES. And I am, myself, excited to know that this tour has offered you a glimpse into the lives of children in other parts of the world. It is all about creating bridges so we can better understand each other.

Thank you for these great questions.

Tomorrow, Mrs. Offiah is taking the whole class to the UNICEF office in Enugu, so they can access a computer and the Internet and see themselves and their work featured in our tour. I have asked them to take pictures and to send them to me, so I can post them later.

In the meantime, I want to thank all the children of the British School of Enugu for their participation. Thank you also to their teacher, Mrs. Irene Offiah, and to the school's headmistress, Mrs. Isobel Ndupuechi. And finally, thank you so much to my friend Dr. Theresa Madubuko for running around to deliver the book, the drawings, and generally making sure that things got done. Finally, thank you to M. Saaondo Anom, at the UNICEF office, for his continued support, and to M. Paul Chime and Mrs. Aranotu. It takes that many people, when infrastructures and communications are not the best, but the children of Enugu are partaking in our celebration, today, and this is another proof that where there is a will, there usually is a way...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A book is a part of life, a manifestation of life, just as much as a tree, or a horse or a star. It obeys its own rhytms, its own laws, whether it be a novel, a play or a diary. The deep, hidden rhythm of life is always there -- that of the pulse, the heart beat." Henry Miller

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Tomorrow, you'll find a photo essay by yours truly at Bri Meets Books, an interview with Amadi's Snowman's illustrator, Dimitrea Tokunbo, at The Well Read Child, and a story inspired by Amadi written and illustrated by a child at the Vidyaranya High School, in Hyderabad. See you then...

DAY 19 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Hello, this is Amadi ! How is everyone? I hope you like this blog tour as much as I do. It is a big joy to read all the reviews from people who love the book, and to discover why, and what it is they love the most. It is a great adventure. 

So, today, we continue our blog visits and return to The Well Read Child for an interview with Mama Katia. 

And when you come back, you can see and read...

... a letter I received from Italy. Yes, yes, Italia, Europe. I have three friends there and look at the beautiful letter they sent me. 

As it is in Italian, and I don't speak that language (I speak Igbo and English only), their mother translated it for me.

Jambo ! (Hello in Kiswahili)

Dear Amadi, we are three sisters, Florin, Aisha and Shali, and we are half Kenyan. Our father is Kenyan and our mum was born in Rome-Italy. Usually, our mum reads us stories. Do you like listening to stories? My mum told us that still nowadays in small villages around Africa there are storytellers who continue to transmit their traditional stories. Our parents taught us to build toys using recycled stuff and we enjoy it. What are your favorite toys and games? Do you also build them yourself? Would you like to travel and see other countries? We'd like to go to Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and India. How is your house? Do you like animals? We love them and we have a cat, Matisse. What are the most important feasts at your village? We enjoyed reading your story because when we learned how to read, we discovered that it is adventurous and makes us travel without moving. Thanks to Mama Katia, we've been to Nigeria and we have met you!

Kwaheri (Bye Bye in Kishwahili)

Signed : Florin Mwaniki (the wise one), Aisha Mwananna (long life), and Shali Mwanalulu (pearl) in Lerici, Italy.

And that was our picture today for our feature "Where in the world is Amadi?" Continue to send us photos of your children reading Amadi's Snowman at katianovet@gmail.com.

Please, see below my letter to my friends in Italy. 

Dear Florin, Aisha and Shali, 

Kedu ! And thank you for your letter. I'm happy that you like our book, and even more happy that you want to visit our great country of Nigeria. I have grown a lot since Mama Katia started writing my story and now I'm really an Igbo man of Nigeria - no longer just a boy. So I don't play as much as before. But I remember that more than anything, I loved chasing lizards and trying to catch bush rabbits. They are grass-cutters, even though Mama Katia says they look like long rats, and we love to eat them. I also played with seeds. But going to the market was always the best. It is good that your parents taught you to recycle objects and make toys with them. Now that I have traveled to be with Mama Katia and Mama Dimitrea, I see that in other countries, they have lots of toys, and there is a lot of waste, too. As we don't have much money, we try to use things as long as they have some use for us. Of course, I also wish we would be a little cleaner in Nigeria, rather than using our roads as garbage dumps. I often scold the children in our village when I see them throwing their wastes everywhere, and I tell them to pick it up. They don't like it, but they must obey me, because I'm their elder. I still live with my mother, and we have two rooms in our house. It is quite comfortable. We have many festivals, but the most important ones are the New Yam festival, in August, and the Masquerades (Mmanwu) in November. Our traditional weddings and funerals are also great ceremonies with lots of dancing, singing, and eating. If you ever come to Igboland, please come and knock on our door and I will be your guide.

Kodi (Bye in Igbo). Signed : your friend, Ifeanyi Amadi.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." Abraham Lincoln

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Tomorrow, we go to On My Bookshelf for a review and a giveaway, and we return to my hometown of Enugu, in Nigeria, for another school visit. See you then...

DAY 18 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

This week, we'll have the privilege of visiting The Well-Read Child three times. A former English and ESL teacher, Jill has a simple mission - to get kids to read. Today, she's offering a review of Amadi's Snowman.

And before we offer our Tuesday Quizz, I want to tell you the story of the wonderful surprise that the Austin community of children's writers and illustrators reserved for us.

At the beginning of the tour, I sent emails to all my writer friends (and their second cousin twice removed too if I happened to have their email address, I confess) to let them know about our blogging adventure. One of them is the author of "Snuggle Mountain", Lindsey Lane, whom I met at an online workshop taught by Uma Krishnaswami. 

You know how people sometimes click in ways hard to define. It just happens. We have never been in the actual presence of each other, we don't write every other day either, but life seems somehow better, more meaningful, just because we now know that special person. Last week, I received an email from Lindsey telling me she wanted to take Amadi to the an SCBWI gathering of Austin children's writers and illustrators at Book People. I didn't quite know what she had in mind, but I was thrilled, of course. Check that link and see for yourselves... 

It is now official, next to being held by children, Amadi's Snowman is happiest in the arms of members of our wonderful community. And Amadi, who is reading over my shoulder, as usual, is nodding enthusiastically. 

Thank you, Austin writers and illustrators ! You all rock and make me want to move to Austin !

TUESDAY QUIZZ

Find below the questions we asked, last week, and the answers: 

1. Who is Mrs. Chikodili and what does she do for Amadi? Mrs. Chikodili is a friend of Amadi's mother who wants to teach him how to read, and she buys Amadi the book with the snowman.

2. What Indian dish do the children of Vidyaranya like very much? Paneer Butter Masala (which is very delicious, by the way.)

3. What four major religions of India did the children of Vidyaranya mention? Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism.

And our new set of questions for this week: 

1. What is the name of the school we visited in Haiti?

2. In which country does Frantzito, the star of our first video clip, live?

3. What books from a popular series in the U.S. does one child recommend for Amadi?

Continue to email your answers at katianovet@gmail.com and we'll select a winner at random at the end of the tour.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Read as you taste fruit or savor wine, or enjoy friendship, love or life." Holbrook Jackson

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Tomorrow, we return to The Well-Read Child for an interview, and we'll then go to Italy, where three adorable girls have written a letter to Amadi. See you then...

DAY 17 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Hello everyone,

Today, we are going back to Nigeria, and I will leave the keyboard to Amadi, after a brief invitation to visit Maw Books, where photographer, Master Gardener and mom Natasha Maw reviews every book she reads. Today, Amadi's Snowman is in the spotlight !

Hello, it's me Amadi. As Mama Katia promised, yesterday, we return to Nsukka to see Professor Virginia Dyke. We first met Pr Dyke at The Children's Center, on the third day of the tour. Since then, she has been working hard to introduce the book to more children in her area. She sent us drawings from the 5th graders at the Central School I. And here is what she wrote :

"It's been rough here with no light and no server and all sorts of problems. The children liked the book very much. They are convinced of the value of reading and those at Children's Centre knew about snow through their reading. Later we were able to share the book at a school in town. Those children didn't know anything about snow and were fascinated by the librarian's explanations. They also talked about their favorite books. This showed me the scantiness of reading materials available to them. Most cited stories in their English language reader or those in other textbooks."

Girl in snow in India

The drawing above, by Uchenna Ugwuoke, one of the 5th graders in the class that read Amadi's Snowman, is the illustration of the text below and refers to a book titled "Back to School," from their Macmillan English textbook :

"It was the first day of the school year. Emeka and his friends Wakama and Kunle were walking to school. Emeka was trying to read his book as usual. Kunle and Wakama were in front of him.

Come on! They called. We'll be late. Emeka closed his book and reading to catch up with them.

I was reading about Nigeria, he said. Do you know that only fifty years ago there were very few towns in Nigeria. Nearly everyone lived in villages. Only a few children went to school. They went to market but they didn’t learn to read and write. I know, said Wakama. My father said Port Harcourt town when he was a boy, he used to do his homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. My father used to walk ten kilometers to school."

Thank you, Uchenna. This is all true. And as Mama Katia mentions in her website, we still see children walking a long way to school nowadays, carrying their bench on their head. Thank you to Professor Dyke and to the children of Nsukka for their beautiful artwork.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"You may have riches and wealth untold - caskets of jewels and baskets of gold. But richer than I, you will never be, for I had a mother who read to me." Gillilan Strickland

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Tomorrow, we go to The Well-Read Child for the first of three visits, we have our Tuesday Quizz, here, and a truly heartwarming surprise from the community of children's writers and illustrators in Austin. See you then...

DAY 16 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Today, you will find an interview on the blog of author Kimberly Willis Holton, Jambalaya, where Kimberly shares "a little bit of this and that." Try and spend some time on her website, as it is very nicely done. I especially like Kimberly's Café, where you can sample Orange Dreamcicle, French bread, Mango dipped in hot sauce (mm!) and more, as she tells us about her "Life in Food." 

SUNDAY TRIVIA

 

Each week, we ask three trivia questions about one of the countries participating in our blog tour. For the first two weeks, we focused on Amadi's country, Nigeria.  

Questions from last week, and the responses:

Thank you very much to those who sent us their responses. You can continue to either write them in the comment section at the end of this post, or to send them to katianovet@gmail.com.

This week's trivia:

1. What was the name of the Princess of Zaria, nowadays a province in northeast Nigeria, who lived in the 16th Century, was a famed warrior and known to be the architect of fortification walls which surrounded many cities she had conquered? Amina (also called Aminatu)

2. What is the name of the city state in Northern Nigeria which became an important centre of trade, culture, scholarship and religion during the Middle Ages? Kano

3. What is the name of the Nigerian author who was the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature? Wole Soyinka

This week, we'll have one question that will help us make the transition between Nigeria, in Africa, and India, and the two remaining questions will focus on India, where I've now lived more than four years.

1. Mention two differences between the African elephant and the Indian Elephant?

2. What very famous board game has its origin in India?

3. Where is located the Taj Mahal, one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage?

Send us your answers at katianovet@gmail.com. At the end of the month, we'll draw a winner among the participants who gave the right responses, each week, and they'll win a prize. 

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AMADI?

After Nigeria, France, the US, and a live performance in the Dominican Republic, we go to the island of Shikoku, in Japan, where Jio is reading our book in his tatami room.

Thank you, Jio !

Continue to send me pictures at katianovet@gmail.com and I'll publish them in the blog. At the end of the tour, a lucky winner picked at random will win a prize.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with all the finest men of past centuries." René Descartes

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Tomorrow, we have a review at Maw Books, and we'll return to Nigeria, where more children are discovering Amadi's Snowman. See you then...

DAY 15 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Hello everyone, 

Today begins the third week of Amadi's Snowman's incredible journey around the world, and I'm very happy to take you to Kelly Starling Lyons' blog, Kuumba, for a conversation about diversity in children's books. Kelly is the author of "One Million Men and Me," and "NEAT: Eddie's Ordeal", both published by Just Us Books, and she has two forthcoming picture books with Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. She is also one of the founding members of The Brown Bookshelf initiative. Kelly wanted us to broach one of my favorite subjects : the need for children's books to mirror our diverse world, to represent children of all colors and backgrounds. Come and join us.

And now, as promised yesterday, here is a gallery of the artwork done by the second grade children at Poupard Elementary School, in Harper Woods, Michigan, USA.

Thank you very much to the second graders at Poupard Elementary, in Michigan, and their teacher, Cathy Lee, for participating in our global blog tour. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading as much as your already do.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Without books the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are the engines of change, windows on the world, Lighthouses as the poet said erected in the sea of time. They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind, Books are humanity in print." Arthur Schopenhaur

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Tomorrow, we visit National Book Award winning author Kimberly Willis Holt at her blog, Jambalaya. And we have our regular features : the Sunday Trivia and "Where in the World is Amadi?" See you then...

DAY 14 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Hello everyone,

Today is Children's Day in India, in honor of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday, who loved children and is considered the country's special child for having been the first Prime Minister, after India's long struggle for Independence. As coincidence would have it, we visit the blog of Mitali Perkins, who was born in India. Mitali is the award-winning author of several children's and YA titles, including Monsoon Summer, Rickshaw Girl, and the forthcoming Secret Keeper and the Bamboo People, and she likes to write about life between cultures. Join us on Mitali's Fire Escape for her review, and the debut of Amadi's Snowman trailer !  Enjoy, and come back, as we're then going to... 

... Michigan, USA. After Nigeria, India and Haiti, we find Amadi visiting Cathy Lee's second grade class, at Poupard Elementary, in Harper Woods.

We had a few questions for the children there. Please, find their answers below.

What is the first book you remember reading on your own?

The first book I read was The Foot Book (by Dr. Seuss). The reason I read it is because I thought that The Foot Book was the easiest for me to read. I love that book. 

K. 

When I read my first book I felt happy and excited. It was in my kindergarten class. It is called ABCs by Dr. Seuss. 

S. 

My first book was Henry and Mudge (by Cynthia Rylant). It was a good book to read. I couldn’t believe it! It is special to me. 

P.

The first book I learned to read was Lunch. I learned to read it because it had words like I and had and lunch. It said, I had milk, I had an apple, I had a banana, and I had chocolate milk. It had lots of stuff to eat. I liked it. 

B.

I read Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. The cat does funny stuff. There’s a goldfish and a boy and a girl and the cat in the hat! The cat lifts the goldfish and Thing One and Thing Two mess up the house! 

C. 

I remember reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It is really easy to read. I liked the part when it talked about the horse! 

S.

Do you remember the first time you realized you could read the words around you?Describe what happened and how you felt.

The first words I starting reading were Stop and I-HOP an McDonalds and all sorts of other words. And reading is just like talking, but when you read books you learn something. G. 

I was three and I read all the stop signs and I felt happy! And I knew that when I saw KFC it was Kentucky Fried Chicken. But my brothers called it Chicken Fried Chicken! 

S.

I felt happy when I could read the words. 

T.

Some children like Amadi don't know how to read. What do you think about that?

I think that it is not fair that some people cannot read books like others can, because reading is really fun. 

H. 

I think it is sad and does not make any sense. People should know how to read very well. They should be able to read about a princess and about pizza. I hope that you will read. 

V. 

I think I will help them learn to read because books are fun to read. 

A. 

What books have you loved so much that you read them again and again?

I love to read Please, Baby Please. It is a great book. It’s about a girl who does not like to do anything. She is disobedient and weird. 

V. 

I like Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind because it is a great book. 

B. 

My favorite book? I would say it could be Oh Yuck! That’s a good title for it because it is gross!  But only one is not gross and that is the snakes. They are so cool. I don’t even know how cool they are. 

E. 

I read Captain Underpants. I like his wedgie powers. I read 45 chapters. I like the one when he destroys the talking toilets and when he defeated the bigger boy. 

N.

Captain Underpants was my first book to read (this year)  and The Three Mice was my second book. Pyramids was my third book and Walter was my fourth book to read. 

C. 

What books would you recommend that Amadi read once he learns to read. Why do you think he would like them?

I think that Amadi would like Junie B. Jones books because they are funny. Junie B. thought she had a monster under her bed. 

H. 

I think Amadi would like to read a book that would show how to make a snowman because he saw a friend reading a book with a snowman. I think he would like it. 

L.

Thank you to the children at Poupard Elementary for their wonderful responses. We will return there tomorrow, so we can share the pictures that Amadi's Snowman inspired them to draw.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time." Edwin P. Whipple

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Tomorrow, I visit Kelly Starling Lyons's blog Kuumba for a conversation about the need for diversity in books for children, and our passionate commitment, as writers, to contributing to that cause. We'll also discover the drawings from the Poupard Elementary school children. See you then...

DAY 13 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

I'm happy and honored that Scribbly Katia is featured on author Anastasia Suen's Children's Book Biz News' blog, as well as her other blog Picture Book of the Day, in which she uses "Picture Books to Teach the Six Traits of writing." Thank you, Anastasia.

Sandhya Nankani whom we visited for an interview at Literary Safari, also wrote a wonderful review of Amadi's Snowman.

And last, but far from least, we travel to the Dominican Republic for our first video clip, starring Frantzito, who tells us why he likes Amadi's Snowman.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

That one is tongue in cheek, but we had to have one from Groucho Marx :)

"I find TV very educating. Every time someone turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book." Groucho Marx

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Tomorrow, we have another great day with a review and our book trailer debut at Mitali Perkin's blog, The Fire Escape. We then go to Michigan, to visit the Poupard Elementary School, in Harper Woods. See you then...

DAY 12 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

I'm so pleased to announce yet another chock full, happening day, today.

First, we return to the Through the Looking Glass blog for a... giveaway.

Then, Anamaria gives us a review at Books Together , a blog "For kids and Their Grownups."

And now, Amadi and I are both really excited to take you to the third grade class at the Quisqueya Christian School, in the capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. 

Haiti was recently hit by four terrible hurricanes, and the beginning of the school year had to be postponed until the beginning of October. But as soon as she heard about our project, Mrs. Jean Graham, the third-grade teacher, sent me an enthusiastic email saying she would love for her students to participate, and how could she get her hands on the book? The only copy available in Haiti, at that time, was at my mother-in-law's house, and Mrs. Graham drove up to Fermathe, in the mountains above the capital, to borrow it. A week later, she sent me all the material, pictures, scans of the drawings, etc. Now, that's what I call being efficient.

I asked Mrs. Graham about the children's reactions to the book, and here is what she wrote:

 

"The class really liked the part of the story when Mrs. Chikodili bought the book. They were predicting that he would not get to see the book again... some thought that she would read it to him... They were pleased to see that she gave the book to Amadi. They related very well to the merchants and the market scene... very common here, too. Many smacked their lips as the mango part was being read... the season for them is just now beginning again, so they sound really good to eat. We looked at the globe to see where India and Nigeria are, and discussed traveling there and how long it would take to get there by plane. We also discussed the types of foods that are the same here and there."

And, so, Amadi and his story continue to build bridges across the world, this time from Haiti to Nigeria, and from Haiti to India. And look how cosy and happy Amadi's Snowman looks among all these beautiful children.

Below is a small selection of the material I received. I could not publish everything because the drawings and letters did not all come through as clearly as I would have liked. But we still have a lovely sample of the work done by the third grade class at Quisqueya. 

 

"The first book I read was Batman. The book I can read over and over is X Man. My favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham. I like it because it's funny. When I first learned to read I was happy."

"The first book I read was "Cuga, Cugu, Cooko." I love reading fairy tales. My favorite book is Amadi's Snowman. I felt like I was grown-up. Being able to read is fun. I feel sad about people who can't read."

The children also asked questions in their letters, and I will compile them and publish them later in the tour. Find below a picture of the classroom, and another of the lunch area, in the shade of a gorgeous tree.

Thank you so much to all the third graders at Quisqueya. Thank you for your great work and enthusiasm, and thank you for your kind words about Amadi's Snowman.  And finally, a million heartfelt thanks to their teacher, Mrs. Jean Graham, for involving her students in our global virtual tour, in spite of all sorts of logistical difficulties (like scanning and emailing all the material to me ; and by the way, thank you also to Ralph Pereira, at Comp'Haiti, for offering the use of his scanner and his time to make sure I received everything, and to my mother in law, for lending her copy of the book).

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Everything in the world exists to end up in a book." Stephane Mallarmé.

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Tomorrow, we will visit two of incredibly energetic author Anastasia Suen's blogs and we'll see our first video clip. See you then...

DAY 11 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Today, we return to Through The Looking Glass, for a short interview. And we visit Cheryl (aka Teacher Tasses) at her blog, Let the Wild Rumpus Start, for a review of Amadi's Snowman.

TUESDAY QUIZZ

Here are the questions we asked, last week, and the answers :

1. What is Amadi stalking, in the first page of the book? A red-headed lizard.

2. What are the languages spoken in the area where Amadi and the children of Nsukka live?

Igbo and English.

3. When Amadi's mother first talks to him, she tells him not to "run around like ..." ? Like what? A bush rabbit.

And our new set of questions, this week :

1. Who is Mrs. Chikodili and what does she do for Amadi?

2. What Indian dish do the children of Vidyaranya like very much?

3. What four major religions of India did the children of Vidyaranya mention?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero

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Tomorrow, there will be a give-away, a review, and, and, and... we'll visit a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We can't wait to see you then...

DAY 10 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Welcome back to our global virtual tour for Amadi's Snowman, where we celebrate books and reading with children from all around the world. 

Since 2003, Through the Looking Glass Book Review has been a trusted resource for parents and educators looking for the best books for young people. Now, we're visiting with Marya on their brand-new blog for a review (today), an interview (tomorrow),  and a giveaway on Wednesday !

After that, we visit Read These Books and Use Them, where Margo Dill, a freelance writer and editor, speaker, children's author, and substitute teacher, not only reviews children's books, but also offers her own wonderful discussion guides and suggested activities for each one. And today's featured book is... Amadi's Snowman, of course!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors." Henry Ward Beecher

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Tomorrow, we have an interview at Through The Looking Glass, and a review at The Wild Rumpus Starts. And let's not forget our Tuesday quizz. See you then...

DAY 9 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Today, Dimitrea will be the featured illustrator on 7-Imp's 7 Kicks, the Sunday feature on 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast. So grab your coffee, put your feet up, and check out some vibrant and colorful artwork !

SUNDAY TRIVIA

 

Each week, we ask three trivia questions about one of the countries participating in our blog tour. This week, again, we focus on Amadi's country, Nigeria. Send us your answers at katianovet@gmail.com. At the end of the month, we'll draw a winner among the participants who gave the right responses, each week, and they'll win a prize. 

Questions from last week, and the responses:

1. Find the name of the Nigerian Author, born in an Igbo village, like me, who wrote the novel "Things Fall Apart" (most widely read book in modern African literature.) Chinua Achebe

2. A question about climate : what is the name of the wind that blows from the desert, during the dry season? The harmattan.

3. What are Nigeria's direct neighboring countries? Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Thank you very much to those who sent us their responses. You can continue to write them in the comment section at the end of this post, or send them to katianovet@gmail.com.

This week's trivia:

1. What was the name of the Princess of Zaria, nowadays a province of Nigeria, who lived in the 16th Century, was a famed warrior and the architect of fortification wall which surrounded many cities she had conquered?

2. What is the name of the city state in Northern Nigeria which became an important centre of trade, culture, scholarship and religion during the Middle Ages?

3. What is the name of the Nigerian author who was the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero

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Tomorrow, we have a review at Through The Looking Glass, and a discussion/activity at Read These Books and Use Them. See you then. 

DAY 8 OF AMADI'S SNOWMAN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TOUR

Welcome, everyone! This is Amadi. I hope you're enjoying the tour as much as I am. It's been a few days since I've taken Mama Katia's place at the computer and she said she needed me to copy a few things for me. So, here we go...

Today, we visit Kerry (a former pasty chef and children's bookseller turned 5th grade teacher) at the Shelf Elf blog. She is offering up a conversation between Mama Katia and Amy Lundebrek, a fellow picture book author whose "Under the Night Sky" was published by Tilbury House at the same time as "Amadi's Snowman." They talk about the writing life and their journeys to publication.

Library Thing is at its simplest definition an online catalog, offering members the chance to share and discuss what's on their bookshelf (over 30 million books entered so far!). But it also presents great opportunities for readers to interact directly with the authors themselves. Starting today, and for the next two weeks, Mama Katia will be participating in an Author Chat - answering all your questions about writing, traveling, and everything in between !

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AMADI?

After Nigeria and France, we slip on our seven-league boots again, and jump all the way to Massachusetts, in the US, where we find Ravi, engrossed in the book.

Thank you, Ravi.

Please, continue to send us pictures at katianovet@gmail.com so Mama Katia can post them during the tour.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." Victor Hugo

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Tomorrow, we'll learn more about Dimitrea Tokunbo and the illustration process, when we visit 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast. And we'll have our trivia feature. See you then...