It would be fun to hop on a plane to a country in Africa, but in the meantime, take a trip new and favorite children’s books, for ages toddlers to teens.

Read inspiring, original stories of contemporary life in Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, South Sudan, Mauritania, Botswana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

• Africa, Amazing Africa by Atinuke, Mouni Feddag.
• Explore Africa today – 55 different countries, from hottest deserts to rainforests, volcanoes, islands, billions of people (most of them are young), modern and ancient cities, villages and open spaces filled with amazing wildlife. Illustrations and fun facts about each country. (Chapter book)
• One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul and Elizabeth Zunon.
• In a village in Gambia, discarded plastic bags pile up by the side of the road, bringing disease and causing goats to die. Isatou Cessay has a brilliant idea – she and her friends pick up the plastic bags, cut them into strips, and make purses. Everyone wants to buy a purse! (Picture book)
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer.
• William Kamkwamba grew up in a very poor village in Malawi. During a time of famine and hunger, teenage William read books, scrounged bits of rubbish, and built a windmill to make electricity to light in his house. Now he runs projects to generate energy cheaply and improve schools. (Chapter book)
• Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke, Angela Brooksbank.
• In Nigeria, Baby goes to market with Mama. Baby is so adorable, the banana seller gives her six bananas, five juicy oranges, four chin-chin biscuits, three roasted sweet corn, two pieces of corn … Fabulous illustrations of vibrant color, excitement and community in busy African markets.(Picture book)
• Where Is the Serengeti? by Nico Medina.
• Only wild game (except for park rangers and few scientists) live in the Serengeti, a national park in Tanzania. Discover the ecosystem of the savanna, home to millions of animals, from huge elephants, to tiny dik-diks, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, lions, hyraxes, cheetahs, leopards, gazelles, giraffes, warthogs, Nile crocodile, hyenas, and conservation efforts to protect wildlife. (Chapter book)
• Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter.
• Wangari Maathai looks at the barren land where all the trees have been cut down, and she starts by planting nine seedlings. She convinces village women to the seeds of hope, and in time, a green umbrella spreads all over Africa. Vibrant illustrations capture Wangari’s vision and beauty and wonder of the Earth. (Picture book)
• Facing the Lion by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton.
• Captivating childhood memories of Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton, growing up today in a nomadic Maasai tribe, where cows are a way of life, clothing is a nanga and beads, and hunting lions with spears is every warrior’s challenge. (Chapter book)
• The Water Princess by Susan Verde, Peter H. Reynolds.
• Gie Gie lives in Africa – “My kingdom … the African sky, so wide and close, I can almost touch the sharp edges of the stars. But I cannot make the water come closer.” Every day she and her mother up before dawn, walk miles to get water, returning at sunset. Gie Gie dreams of clean, cool drinking water. Stellar illustrations capture rhythms of village life, and challenge of a life without water. (Picture book)
• Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate from Farm to Familyby Elizabeth Zunon .
• A little girl bakes a birthday chocolate cake with her father. While they mix it together he tells her about Grandpa Cacao, who lives in Ivory Coast, West Africa.
• Grandpa Caco worked on a farm, where they grew cacao, the fruit used to make chocolate. Everyone in the village worked together to prepare cacao beans to sell. Plus facts about how chocolate is made, history of chocolate, and a recipe for chocolate celebration cake.
• Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane, Hoda Hadadi.
• Lovely story of women wearing colorful malafa (veils) in Mauritania. A young girl, Lalla, watches her mother’s veil fluttering as she prays, women in the marketplace robed in bright colors, her grandmother sipping mint tea under a red acacia tree. And then, Lalla has her own malafa, “as blue as the Sahara sky.” Gorgeous illustrations capture traditions of faith and culture in this Islamic community. (Picture book)
• The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith.
• In Botswana, Precious Ramotswe wants to be a detective, and there’s a mystery to be solved – someone is taking the children’s snacks and sweets at her school. To catch the thief, she bakes a special cake with sticky glue. (Chapter book)
• Who Was Nelson Mandela? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso.
• Illustrated biography of Nelson Mandela, who changed South Africa. He grew up a traditional village, fought against apartheid, spent twenty seven years in prison, and became South Africa’s first black president. (Chapter book)
• Mama Africa! by Kathryn Erskine, Charley Palmer.
• Miriam Makeba grew up in segregated South Africa, where beaches were for only for white people, but Miriam could sing. In her songs, though exiled, she fights for equality, she sings “Free Nelson Mandela,” appeals for everyone to join her in song, and sings in celebration when South Africa is free. (Picture book)
• A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
• South Sudan, a girl Nya goes to a pond to get water for her family, it takes eight hours every day. In war-torn times, Salva runs away from his village and becomes a “lost boy,” walking through Africa to find his family and safety. Two young people, two harrowing stories of hope and survival, and one meeting at a new village well. Good for older kids. (Chapter book)
• Mama Panya’s Pancakes by Mary and Rich Camberlin, Julia Cairns.
• Mama Panya is making pancakes tonight, and on the way to market, her son Adika invites all their friends. Mama wonders how many pancakes she can make, but everyone brings milk, butter, plantains, fish, spices and it’s a feast under the baobab tree. A sparkling story that expresses Kenyan village life based on sharing, beautifully illustrated. (Picture book)
• Handa’s Noisy Night by Eileen Browne.
• Handa is spending the night at her friend Akeyo’s house in the village – but what is all the snorting, chattering, rattling, squeaking, slurping, while they are going to sleep? A delightful story, beautifully illustrated, of wildlife in Kenya. (Picture book)