From the Heart of Africa: A book of Wisdom

by Eric Walters (Compiler)

Overview

A collection of African wisdom gorgeously illustrated by artists from Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United States and more.

Aphorisms are universal. They give guidance, context and instruction for life's issues, and they help us understand each other and the world around us. We use them every day, yet never think about where they came from or why they exist.

In this beautifully illustrated collection, Eric Walters brings us classic sayings from the places where this shared wisdom began. Ashanti, Sukuma, Akan and Kikuyu: all of these cultures use the portable and easily shared knowledge contained in aphorisms, and from these cultures and more this communal knowledge spread.

This book is a celebration of art, of community and of our common history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770497207
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Eric Walters’s young adult novels have won numerous awards, including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow, and Ruth Schwartz Awards, and have received honors from UNESCO’s international award for Literature in the Service of Tolerance. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

11/20/2017
More than a dozen artists offer strikingly varied interpretations of 15 aphorisms sourced from across the African continent. “Africa is where we all started our journey on this planet,” writes Walters in an introduction. “It’s from this home that we began and then fanned out across the world.” Each saying appears in large bold type, labeled with its region or people of origin and a brief explanation. Many images hew to the language of the phrases—South African artist Toby Newsome pictures a woman in a headscarf carefully dipping her toe into a river (“No one tests the depth of the water with both feet”)—while others take bigger stylistic leaps. Working in a brash comic-book style, Sindiso “R!OT” Nyoni, based in Johannesburg, shows a black female astronaut beaming at readers from outer space (“Traveling is learning”). It’s easy to imagine this book being used in classrooms, with students suggesting their own interpretations of these aphorisms and inventing their own. A portion of Walters’s royalties will be donated to Creation of Hope, a Kenyan organization he cofounded that offers a variety of aid to orphans in that country. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

One of Canadian Children's Book Centre’s Favourite Books of the Year 2018

PRAISE FOR From the Heart of Africa:

"This beautifully illustrated book of wisdom serves as a good introduction to maxims and also acts against the many prevalent negative stereotypes of African cultures and people—lovely and illuminating." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"In this attractive picture book for older readers, Walters unites 15 aphorisms from a range of African cultures… This unique collection works both as a gift book and a handy model for classroom projects." —Booklist

"4/4… While Walters has offered his interpretation of the aphorisms’ meanings, readers will undoubtedly want to proffer their own… its contents obviously speak to a much wider audience, including adults. Highly Recommended.” —CM Magazine

"Colourful and bold typography with extremely minimal text—some of the aphorisms are only three words long—will instantly appeal to young and reluctant readers." —Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
K-Gr 4—Walters has compiled a beautifully illustrated collection of 15 wise sayings from the cultures of a number of African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and more. The guidance and instruction embedded in these nuggets explore the cultural universals that are part of human life (and frailty) around the world. Famous gems such as "It takes a village to raise a child" (Nigeria) and "Many hands make light work" (Tanzania) highlight the commonality of humanity. Clever phrases such as "I pointed out to you the stars, but all you saw was the tip of my finger." (Tanzania) and "Rain does not fall on one roof alone." (Cameroon) share the communal knowledge that teaches and can be embraced by all. Walters notes in his introduction, "Africa is where we all started our journey on this planet." This book celebrates the human condition and explores the community that is part of our common history. These wonderful sayings are all the more engaging because they are accompanied by strikingly colorful full-page illustrations. Different artists from countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United States, and Cuba have interpreted each saying. The words appear in large, bold type and include explanation and information about their origin. Some of the illustrations are traditional such as, "No one tests the depth of the water with both feet," which depicts a woman in a head scarf carefully dipping her toe into a river. Others are quite stylized, "Travel is learning," shows a cartoonlike image of a black woman in a spacesuit standing on the moon. VERDICT A lovely book that can be used as a introduction to cultural proverbs and will surely spark lively classroom discussions about the interpretation of meanings. A perfect celebration of art and community.—Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2017-10-16
A book of African proverbs illustrated by a variety of artists.The 15 proverbs highlighted in this book come from different African peoples and regions, and each features a captivating full-page illustration. The aphorisms range from the well-known—"It takes a village to raise a child"—to those that may be new to most readers. Walters offers origin information for each proverb, as well as its meaning, making the book accessible to a variety of ages. The saying "When in the middle of a river, do not insult the crocodile," from the Baoulé people of Côte d'Ivoire, is glossed as, "You probably don't have to battle crocodiles, but you can apply this to any situation: always think before you act." The fact that the texts are linked only by continent of origin allows for an array of creative pictorial interpretations of the adages, with styles that run the gamut. Ghanaian artist Eva Campbell provides a bright oil painting of a happy village scene; Cuban-American illustrator Tom Gonzalez offers a striking image of a fire at nighttime; South African artist Sindiso "R!OT" Nyoni contributes a cartoonlike image of a black woman in a spacesuit standing on the moon, with the Earth over her shoulder. This beautifully illustrated book of wisdom serves as a good introduction to maxims and also acts against the many prevalent negative stereotypes of African cultures and people—lovely and illuminating. (introduction, foreword, artist bios) (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews