A Kenyan Reading List

Kenya is a fascinating country, sadly under-represented in literature. These are a few eclectic picks that make interesting reading for anyone wanting to know more about this place and its history.

The Flame Trees of Thika, by Elspeth Huxley is a fascinating memoir from a child who arrived in Kenya with her settler parents in 1912, describing their struggles to farm the land near Thika and the impact of the First World War on white settlers in Kenya. The writing is beautiful and the reader is certainly transported to the time and place. And for anyone who knows Kenya now, the comparison in lifestyles and culture between then and now is very interesting. This was written in the 1950s and there are times when it seems a little dated, but it is an enchanting read and I would certainly recommend it.

It's Our Turn to Eat, by Michaela Wrong is a non-fiction account of  a Kenyan whistleblower who started out as the anti-corruption tsar to the government. I found this book dense and heavy-going but very rewarding as an invaluable background guide to tribal effects on politics in Kenya. Really interesting and so useful to an outsider living in Kenya. A fascinating attempt to answer the decades old questions of why corruption is so rife in Africa, and when Africans might start to put wider national interests ahead of narrower tribal ones. Definitely worth ploughing through.

Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain is one of my favourite books in a long time. It is a fictionalised account of the life of Beryl Markham, the famous aviator, in particular her early life in Kenya before she became an aviator. I was utterly transfixed by it. It is a read-in-one-sitting, get completely transported  to another place kind of book. I did not want it to end. For me the magic of this book is in the setting description - the parts of Kenya that I know now are brought to life, but life 70 years earlier! Enchanting.

Leopard at the door, by Jennifer McVeigh is a relatively recently published novel describing the Mau Mau emergency through the eyes of an 18 year old girl returning home to her father's farm after 6 years at school in England to find everything changed almost beyond recognition. It is a coming of age novel that also documents the Mau Mau emergency in detail, attempting to show both sides of the story. I enjoyed it and while I did learn things about this period of Kenyan history I felt the novel was guilty of projecting modern values onto these characters from 60 years ago, with the result that the  characters and their actions were not always believable. Also, I never felt that the Africa being described was the real Africa. Overall though this is an enjoyable novel with a compelling plot and something to teach the reader about a part of history that is little documented in fiction.

Weep not, Child, by Ngugi Wa  Thiong'o is in many ways similar to Leopard at the Door, being a coming of age novel describing life at the time of the Mau Mau emergency. However, this novel is written from the viewpoint of a young Kikuyu boy trying desperately to continue with his education as his family becomes ever more deeply involved with the Mau Mau. Insightful, personal, and a well-written page turner, this really is a must-read.

The Constant Gardener, by John LeCarre is another favourite of mine. John Le Carre is not an author I would usually pick up, but I was hooked by the film and wanted to read the book and I wasn't disappointed. As is so often the case, the book was even better than the film! Tessa, the young wife of a British diplomat in Nairobi, becomes obsessed with uncovering pharmaceutical company wrongdoing pedalling untested drugs in Kenyan slums, and is killed as a result of what she discovers. Her grieving husband picks up the cause on her behalf and travels the globe on the run, trying to expose the issue. I love the depth of relationship between Justin and Tessa and the way their love for each other shines from the page, even though their relationship is unconventional and makes many people uncomfortable. I wouldn't have expected someone known for writing spy thrillers to be a great emotional writer but the way he captures human emotions in this novel (particularly love and grief) is outstanding. Alongside this huge emotional involvement for the reader is also a fast paced thriller and some superbly evocative descriptions of Kenya. 

A Change in Altitude, by Anita Shreve tells of a young newlywed couple who embark on the adventure of spending a year living and working in Kenya. Once there they are befriended by a British couple and undertake an expedition to climb Mt Kenya with them. During the ascent an horrific accident occurs and all 4 lives are changed forever. A compelling study of how we cope with tragedy and how difficult it can be to forgive. 

Promises to Keep: A British Vet in Africa, by Hugh Cran is the light-hearted memoir of a vet living and working in Nakuru for over forty years. It is anecdotal in tone and highly entertaining, whilst also providing some social commentary. Cran has a great knack for describing the sights, sounds and people of Kenya and this book is highly recommended. Very enjoyable.

Do you have any books you would add to this list?

3 Fantastic series to start your children on chapter books

The transition from picture books to chapter books can be a daunting one for many parents. When should we start? What should we start with? are common questions around this subject. We all want our children to enjoy reading and I firmly believe that the key to this is to read them quality fiction from as early an age as possible. I began reading chapter books aloud to my children when they were about 4 and  a half years old. And these series are the ones we started with. A series is especially engaging because you always want to read the next book. These series all have in common strong, likeable main characters; emotionally engaging or exciting storylines and high quality writing. My older children have enjoyed reading these themselves at the same time as I am reading them aloud to younger children. Do seek them out. You will enjoy reading them and your children will absolutely love the characters and  be desperate to know what happens next...

The Sophie Stories, by Dick King Smith

Sophie is probably my favourite character in children's literature. She is 4 years old when the series start, and "small, but determined". She is a wonderful character for girls to relate to: confident, funny, adventurous, loyal and determined, and my son liked her too. She absolutely loves animals and her ambition is to become a lady farmer. These books are humorous and heartwarming, with a fabulous and lifelike family dynamic portrayed throughout. A real joy. I am sure Sophie will become a big hit in your household too. A perfect introduction to chapter books.

Sophie's Snail is the first book in the series.

The Anna Hibiscus Stories, by Atinuke are a recent discovery in our family, recommended by a friend here in Kenya and we have spent the last 3 months or so reading them at bedtime with my 4 year old daughter (although my 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son have been hooked too!). We were all very sad when we reached the end of the series. I cannot praise them highly enough and believe they should be read by all children, everywhere. Anna Hibiscus lives with her extended family in a large white house in an African city (while never made explicit, it would seem to be Lagos, Nigeria). Her mother is Canadian and her father is African. The series begins by introducing her family and giving the reader a feel for life in the large white house and then moves through various adventures such as singing for the president, visiting her grandmother in Canada and going to stay in the African village where her grandparents were born. Anna is another strong character that children can relate to and look up to: she is compassionate, friendly, funny and very likeable. 

These books portray Africa so well, and do not shy away from the difficulties of living on the African continent - nothing is picture-book perfect in these stories. The wealth gap in Africa is dealt with in a sensitive and age-appropriate way throughout the series and Anna's compassionate nature comes to the front to help people less fortunate than herself many times. This means that there are many sad moments in the books, and many talking points as you are reading them with your children.

For us living here in Africa the books talk about day to day life and what it is actually like to live here and for African children this is a fantastic series with a heroine who is just like them, someone they can really relate to. There is not much children's literature out there set in modern Africa with African characters, so this series is a real gem. And for children living in the rest of the world these books show them what Africa is really like (not the mud huts, lions and famine view that is so often perpetuated) with all its colour, noise and contrasts. 

Please, please, please find them and read them to your children. You will laugh, you will cry, you will learn about modern Africa and you will absolutely love the little girl that is Anna Hibiscus.

Anna Hibiscus is the first book in the series

The Akimbo Stories by Alexander McCall Smith 

These are also set in Africa and do not need to be read in any particular order. Akimbo lives in a game reserve where his father is a ranger and the series follows him through many adventures trying to protect the wildlife and the habitats he loves so much. Each book focuses on a different animal: lions, baboons, snakes, elephants and crocodiles and they contain a lot of information about each species. They are fast paced and adventurous and there are some scary parts (think snakebite, Ivory poachers etc,) and again, plenty of talking points. My children said that Akimbo and the Snakes was their favourite as they learned the most from this one.

A real plus point to the Akimbo books for me is that they contain a male leading character, as well as being very well written, exciting and appealing for children and enjoyable for grown ups to read aloud. I have really struggled to find another series that is as engaging for my son. There are many books and series out there that appeal to him, with action and adventure and male characters, but the writing is not as good, the plots are formulaic, the characters are 2-dimensional  and they are just not as appealing as an adult to read aloud, or even for him to want to return to again and again (an exception to this is the "How to Train your Dragon" series by Cressida Cowell, but these are not really suitable as first chapter books).We all know that good literature cries out to be re-read and the series' I have mentioned above have all been read and enjoyed many times in our house. I would really appreciate it if you have any recommendations for quality series' that appeal to boys! Please!

10 of the Best Julia Donaldson Books out there.

Julia Donaldson is just amazing. She is without a doubt our family's favourite author for birth - pre-school aged children and I sometimes wonder what children used to read before she started writing! There are often multi-buy deals available for her books on Amazon and she has written so many books that choosing from the range can be a little daunting. So I have put together a selection of our ten favourites for you.

The Gruffalo is probably Julia Donaldson's best known book and is deservedly a classic! The tale of the clever mouse who outwits the fox, owl, snake and Gruffalo is funny, witty enough for adults to enjoy  and has plenty of repeated refrains for the children to join in with. Great stuff.

Monkey Puzzle tells the story of a little monkey who has lost his mum. We follow him on a rhyming journey through the jungle as a butterfly helps him to look for her. There is plenty of humour and crossed wires as the butterfly continually shows him the wrong animal and many opportunities for vocabulary building as your child can name the animals the butterfly shows the monkey after joining in with the repeated refrain "no, no, no, that's a.." And of course, there is a happy ending!

Room on the Broom is another well known book by Julia Donaldson which has been made into a tv film, shown at Christmas a few years ago. This exciting story contains witches and dragons and a broomstick full of animals who manage to outwit the dragon and rescue their witch. This is a really good book for developing awareness of rhyme with children and they will really enjoy filling in the rhyming words at the end of each line ones they are familiar with the story.

A squash and a squeeze is a hilarious tale with a moral too. The old lady in the story learns to appreciate what she has when an old man gives her some unusual advice about how to make her tiny house seem bigger. This one had my kids laughing out loud.

The Smartest Giant in Town is the heartwarming tale of George, a giant who kits himself out in smart new clothes and then, on his way home, gives away everything he has to help the people that he meets. It has a lovely message about helping others AND a jaunty song to sing on every page - such good fun to read and the kids absolutely love the song!

All the above books were illustrated by Axel Scheffler whose pictures compliment the stories perfectly.

The next two books are illustrated by Lydia Monks, whose illustrations always contain a liberal helping of glitter to add sparkle and texture...

What the Ladybird Heard is the story of a farmyard full of animals who, with the help of a shy ladybird, foil the plan of two villains hoping to steal the fine prize cow. Children enjoy joining in with the animal noises and are most amused when the animals trick the would-be thieves.

The Singing Mermaid is currently the favourite book of my 4-year-old daughter and has been for many months. It tells the story of a mermaid who is tricked into joining a circus and then finally manages to escape with the help of her circus friends and a very clever seagull. 

Jack and The Flum Flum Tree is illustrated by David Roberts and is my personal favourite of Julia Donaldson's books because it is a very witty tale with a humour that both adults and children can enjoy. Jack's granny develops an illness that can only be cured by the fruit of the rare and exotic Flum Flum tree so Jack and his friends must set sail to find it. On the way they face many mishaps which are overcome using the bag of eclectic objects that Granny gives them as a farewell gift. And the best bit for the children is that the repeated refrain for them to join in with contains the phrase "Don't get your knickers in a twist"! Great fun!

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose is illustrated by Nick Sharratt and is a simple rhyming tale of some animals preparing and eating a meal. My kids loved it because of all the funny things that the animals say to each other. They  really enjoyed joining in with it after a few readings, and had soon learnt the whole thing by heart! It is also great for building vocabulary and introducing adjectives.

One Ted Falls out of Bed, illustrated by Anna Currey, is a counting book following ted's attempts to get back into bed, with the help of all the other toys in the nursery. It has a strong rhyme, making it easy for children to join in with and really beautiful detailed illustrations. I like it because it is a counting book with a narrative, which makes it much more fun to read.

What are your favourite Julia Donaldson books?