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Summary
Summary
Anna is spending Christmas with her granny in Canada. She can't wait to see snow for the first time! And how will it feel to be so far from home?
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Fans of the series will not be disappointed in these latest books about Anna Hibiscus. In the first, the African child and her family help her prepare for her first trip to Canada to visit her grandmother; the second book continues with her actual trip and the fun experiences in the snowy north for the Christmas holiday. Once again, Atinuke handles the complexity of life in Africa (and the differences between life there and in North America) with deftness and grace. Serious concepts like racism, poverty, and social activism are covered as simply and expertly as dealing with taking the blame for a sibling's misbehavior without becoming heavy-handed or unsuitable for early chapter-book audiences. Although elements of Anna's life may be foreign to some readers, her sweet nature and youthful troubles are common to children everywhere. The expressive black-and-white images that weave seamlessly through the texts enhance the stories beautifully. "Anna Hibiscus" is a lovely, rare bird of a series, providing a modern view of another culture in warm, approachable language.-Nicole Waskie-Laura, Chenango Forks Elementary, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
"Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa." So begins each linked short story in this series, loosely based on the author's own childhood in Nigeria. Set in contemporary Africa, the stories put the reader smack-dab in the middle of Anna's large family, including her parents, twin brothers Double and Trouble, aunts and uncles, and many, many cousins. This is a modern family, with cell phones and laptops. In these third and fourth entries in the series, Anna's eyes are opened to life outside her big white house. In Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus!, harmattan winds from the Sahara cover the land with dust. Anna realizes that the children outside the gate do not have the same access to water and she, along with wise adults, comes up with a plan to help. In Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!, Anna flies to snowy Canada to spend a month (including Christmas) with her white grandmother, whom she has never met. Everything is on a small scale in these books, allowing the reader to easily identify with the situations. Anna does not try to save Africa from drought; she just tries to alleviate the thirst of her neighbors. Like the rest of her family in Africa, Anna fears dogs, but she comes to love Granny Canada's beloved Qimmiq. Tobia's detailed illustrations add depth and energy to the stories -- showing Anna in all her emotional states and giving new readers the visual support they need. Readers ready for chapter books will love Anna and her sprawling family. robin l. smith [review covers these titles: Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus! and Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus.] (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Raised in a suburban compound among an extended African family, Anna Hibiscus travels to Canada to visit her other grandmother and see snow. These four connected stories describe her departure, her first joyful experience of snow, making friends and celebrating Christmas with her grandmother. Through Anna's eyes, cultural differences become clear. She wakes alone for the first time in her life. She misses familiar spicy foods but enjoys chocolate cereal. She struggles to put on tights and warm clothes. She fears her grandmother's dog. At home, dogs live outside and might bite, but in Canada, Quimmiq rescues her from a snowdrift. In this thoroughly modern world, Anna calls her family on the phone, takes pictures of everything, and even packs a cooler full of snow to take home to her baby brothers. This fourth in the series adds an extra dimension to the cultural richness of these titles by making the contrast between worlds explicit. Christmas is both familiar and new, with different foods, old and new carols and one splendidly decorated tree instead of lights everywhere. The Nigerian-born author has drawn on her own childhood travel to make this experience real for young readers today. On every spread, Tobia's sketches, black and white with gray fill, add interest and appeal. A welcome addition to the sparse collection of stories for young readers about modern African life. (Fiction. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
