Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

Edited by: Nelson Mandela

Elementary Grades

"Mandela states in the foreword, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa-.," and he has chosen 32 traditional tales for this handsome oversized volume. While nearly half the selections have their origins in South Africa, the rest represent some of the continent's most cherished tales and come from Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and other sub-Saharan countries as well as a single selection from Morocco.

Each story is introduced with a short provenance or source note, and a frontispiece map matches each tale with its geographical area. Told by a variety of storytellers and folklorists, or gleaned from previously published sources, the tellings vary from literary to contemporary. The book also provides a showcase for 18 illustrators, mostly from South Africa, who contributed one full-page illustration per story. This is a rich collection that would provide depth and breadth to any classroom study alongside the many single-tale picture-book editions readily found on library shelves."

School Library Journal Review

Awards:
Aesop Accolades Award, 2003

Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela

Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela

Written by: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Illustrated by: Malcah Zeldis

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"This easy-to-read but engaging biography introduces the life and deeds of one of the 20th century's most important leaders. Born the son of a Thembu chief, Mandela spent 27 years in a South African prison before becoming the "first elected black leader" of that nation. McDonough focuses more on Mandela's early years and the development of his political beliefs than on his later life and briefer role as president. He is presented as a resolute student and family man who was determined to fight apartheid. Facts are stated simply, and the drama of his life comes through without sentimentality or rancor.

Zeldis's brightly colored folk-art illustrations reflect her subject's life and struggle with candid simplicity. When the illustrator depicts Mandela reclining in the cramped quarters of an unusually tiny jail cell, she clearly portrays both his physical discomfort and the greater injustice of his imprisonment. A hand-drawn map of South Africa appears on the endpapers. A worthwhile addition for all collections in need of accessible introductory biographies."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela.html
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php