Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa, amazing Africa.
What a sweet, sweet series of early chapter books for girls written by Atinuke, a Nigerian author.
These are easily my favorite of the chapter books that Maia and I have read together so far (and I suspect her favorite as well). During the time that we’ve been reading these, she’s frequently said that she wished she were Anna Hibiscus and was always, always impatient to read more.
The stories feature a young girl who lives in Africa with her African father, Canadian mother, her twin baby brothers, Double and Trouble, her grandmother and grandfather, her aunts and uncles, and all of her many cousins. The stories are interesting, well told, and usually feature a gentle lesson, about things like family, class, tradition, slowing down, and courage.
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The wonderful, personable illustrations are by Lauren Tobia. The stories could stand on their own, but boy, the illustrations sure add a lot (and especially for a five year old).
Finishing the last Anna Hibiscus story was bittersweet. We both wish there were more books in the series. I see that Atinuke’s written another book called The No 1 Car Spotter that we will seek out. And we will definitely keep an eye out for anything else that she writes.
If you’re looking for great early chapter books for girls, I can’t recommend this series highly enough!
Anna Hibiscus Books by Atinuke
Updates:
I just came across this interview with Atinuke over on Playing by the Book!
Atinuke now has a version of Anna Hibiscus that is a full-color picture book for kids, called Anna Hibiscus’ Song.
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Thanks so much for the recommendation! I just requested a couple from the library to enjoy with my youngest daughter. They sound so good though, we may need to invest in our own set to enjoy over and over.
These look great! Thanks for the tip!
I always suggest this to parents, and also the Clemintine books. Cute, strong female characters :)
These look wonderful- can’t wait to check them out!
Excellent! We are always on the lookout for more chapter books suggestions to read with my five-year-old Maya.
Hooray!!! We’ve just finished up the Harriet Bean books by Alexander McCall Smith. They were fantastic and funny and had zero to do with princesses or fairies (not that there’s anything wrong with those things necessarily, just that I’m feeling a bit worn out on those topics). I’m excited to go find this series. Thanks!
From what I can tell, I think it was published a few years ago by a different publisher. And now it’s been re-released by Kane-Miller.
I didn’t realize he wrote books for kids. I’ll have to check them out!
Here’s another review of the Anna Hibiscus series by Educating Alice (thanks to Susan Marie Swanson for sharing!).
http://medinger.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/atinukes-anna-hibiscus-books/
Is this an old series or something new? It looks a bit older from the pictures.
Yes! There are 3 Harriet Bean books and a smattering of other books for kids. They’re wonderful.
Thanks so much for the recommendation! We’re inveterate bookworms and I’m always looking for good chapter books to read with my nearly four year old. These look fantastic.
It was one of my favorites from the Cybils, I really adore the writing and character of Anna.
http://bookmarkable.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/anna-hibiscus/
These sound great. The Akimbo series by Alexander mcCall Smith is terrific too. Akimbo is an African Bon and each book focuses on an encounter/adventure he has with an animal.
Boy, not Bon.
Thanks for the recommendation! These are just the sort of books my son likes right now.
They have them at our local library and will be checking them out this week. Thanks!
Thanks for the recommendation. My almost five year old is going through books with me so quick. I am always on the search for new stories to entertain us both. Lately, we have been “Horse Crazy” with Alison Lester’s series. My daughter’s imaginary friend lives part-time in Africa (the rest of the time Bamie’s life mirrors ours) so I look forward to the adventures of Anna Hibiscus.
Thank you, my daughter loves chapter books right now so any recommendations are welcomed! Thanks again, love your blog!
do you think boys will love it just the same? do you or maybe any of your readers, have suggestions for great chapter books for the 5 year old boys???
thank you!
Wow, that is just what I am looking for.
Thanks for this great review! The second I heard about these, I knew we needed them, and I was able to buy all 4 books form Better World Books UK today for about $25 – including free delivery worldwide. I’m not affiliated with BWB, but I love supporting charities while I buy books and I just know my kids will adore Anna Hibiscus’s adventures (when they arrive).
Just had to stop back at this post and thank you for the recommendation. My kids (son-6, daughter-4, and son-2) are all enthralled with Anna Hibiscus and her adventures, and I am so touched by the sweet lessons they/we are learning along the way.
Great! So glad your family is enjoying them too!