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Thursday, June 24, 2021

Too Small Tola, written by Atinuke and illustrated by Onyinye Iwu. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2021. $21.99 ages 6 and up

 


"Tola lives in a run-down block of 
apartments in the megacity of Lagos,
in the country of Nigeria.
" 

Each of the three chapters about Tola begins with that sentence. Her adventures are chronicled with humor, humanity, and quiet wonder. As they unfold, readers are engaged in the daily life of her Nigerian community. 

She lives with her grandmother, her brother and her sister. Each member of the family is a force to be reckoned with; Moji, her sister, is a serious learner who works hard to be an A+ student. Dapo is an accomplished football player, who spends all his time working at his athletic skills and doing little else. Grandmommy is a strong-minded, independent woman. When Grandmommy says something, everybody listens. 

"Tola hurries to put the big shopping 
basket on her head. If Grandmommy 
is upset, soon everybody will be upset. 
Grandmommy passes on her moods 
faster than mosquitoes pass on malaria.
"

The first chapter relates a shopping trip that requires Tola to go with Grandmommy for two reasons: one is to beat the cheaters and count change as no one can do it faster than Tola can, and the other is to carry a market basket on her head to help bring their many purchases home. Everyone says Tola is 'too small' to do anything important. Tola proves that is not the case. In the second, she awakens to find there is no water in the apartment building (an often-occurring event) and she must help bring water from the well before she can go to school. It is not an easy task, and involves dealing with a bully. Finally, it is time to celebrate both Easter and Eid. When their tailor is hurt, it is up to Tola to help him by measuring all of his clients and then delivering his completed outfits in time for the celebrations. Tola proves that she is capable of all expectations, and size has nothing to do with it. 

An absolutely perfect book for kids making the transition to chapter books. Atinuke has proven time and again that she is a gifted writer and storyteller, attuned to the needs of her young readers. The grayscale illustrations provide a busy urban setting for the action, and a cast of appealing characters. 

I will wait patiently to meet up with Tola in the future. 

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