Release: October 19th 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Algonquin Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon ,Barnes & Noble ,Books-A-Million ,Bookshop ,IndieBound
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“In African Icons, Baptiste engages in the hard work of unveiling the myths about the African continent to young readers .This is a great beginner’s guide to pre-colonial Africa.”
—Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist
Meet ten real-life kings, queens, inventors, scholars, and visionaries who lived in Africa thousands of years ago and changed the world.
Black history began long ago with the many cultures and people of the African continent.
Through portraits of ten heroic figures, author Tracey Baptiste takes readers on a journey across Africa to meet some of the great leaders and thinkers. Their vision built a continent and shaped the world.
Illustrator Hillary D. Wilson’s brilliant portraits accompany each profile, along with vivid, information. There are filled landscapes, maps, and graphics for readers to pore over and return to again and again.
Author Bio:
I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations. I lost them when my family moved to the United States. My fascination for the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn’t so clever. Also I liked well stories of the traditional princess stories.
When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume , I decided o be a writer. I didn’t decide what I wanted to write until I read “The Friends” by Rosa Guy.
I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then, and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of 21, but I didn’t put in the work necessary for publishing until my late twenties. “Angel’s Grace” was while I was on maternity leave with my first child. The inspiration came from my mother (the redhead) and my husband. Because I have very young children, I work when they sleep, which, sadly, is very little.
African Icons Review:
“African Icons” is a wonderful and must-read for anyone who wants to know more about African culture and history and was an eye-opener for me.
As the other mentions in the introduction, when people think of Black History, it is often limited to enslavement, Civil War, and Civil Rights. This book is like a beautiful encyclopedia where we learn more about the land, culture, and dynasties spanned over centuries. As someone who loves reading about civilizations, I was immersed in the book entirely and found it fascinating.
I had no idea about so many tidbits of information until I read this book. For instance, even though I love reading Egyptian Civilization and the Pharoah, I was unaware of many details about Imhotep and Aesop. Similarly, I did not even know that Menes was Egypt’s first Pharoah until I read this book. The author details each Icon in a simple manner that would attract the attention of a reader of any age. Some sections that stood out for me were the reading of Terence, Mansa Musa, and Tin Hinan.
But the author doesn’t talk of just civilizations. We get many more exciting details about places like Timbuktu and how it became a stop for trade and how the grandeur of these dynasties came to an end. Reading this book was bittersweet because you feel the African culture is vibrant yet sad that history got lost over time.
Also, I must credit the breathtaking illustrations that complement the book. Hillary D. Wilson did a fantastic job of bringing the book to life with the powerful images of the Icons.
Overall, if you love reading about civilizations, you must add “African Icons” to your collection.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the African Icons: Ten People Who Built a Continent by Tracey Baptiste Blog Tour hosted by Algonquin Tours.
