Amadi's Snowman: A Story of Reading

by Katia Novet Saint-lot, Dimitrea Tokunbo (Illustrator)

Overview

Why does Amadi’s mother insist he learn to read words? Why should an Igbo boy of Nigeria, who will become a great trader, waste precious time on books?

When he runs off to the market instead of sticking around for a reading lesson, he encounters a much-admired older boy secretly reading at a book stall, and then Amadi becomes intrigued by a storybook with pictures of a strange white creature that has a carrot for a nose. Unable to shake his questions about the snowman, Amadi discovers the vast world reading can open up—especially for an Igbo boy of Nigeria.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780884484400
Publisher:	Tilbury House Publishers
Publication date:	07/10/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,146,930
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Katia Novet Saint-Lot was born in Paris, France, to a Spanish mother and a French father. She has since lived in the UK, the USA, Nigeria, and India, and has traveled to many places around the world. She now lives in India with her husband and two daughters. A literary translator by trade, she tries to find as much time as possible to write the stories that her expatriate life and the experiences of her Third Culture Kids (children who grow up in cultures different from those of their parents) inspire in her.

Dimitrea Tokunbo brings to life the day-to-day experiences of life in Nigeria, where her father grew up. “I want to represent the beauty of all children. I feel that growing up biracial, having a direct connection to two different cultures in the American context, gives my art a spirit and spark that speaks to the children who were overlooked when I was a child.” Dimitrea’s children’s books include Sidewalk Chalk: Poems of the City, Has Anybody Lost a Glove?, Together, and The Sound of Kwanzaa. Dimitrea lives in New York City with her two daughters.

What People are Saying About This

Jane Kurtz

Katia Novet Saint-Lot has given us an important and moving glimpse into the curiosity, wonder, and knowledge a book can bring—and into the life of children in modern African cities. As Yohannes Gebregeorgis, founder of Ethiopia Reads, says, 'Books change lives.' How terrific to have a story that shows how and why. (Jane Kurtz, Children's Book Author)

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Amadi's first-ever glimpse at a snowman--one depicted in the pages of a book--inspires him to transform from a resistant to an enthusiastic student of reading. Children will identify with Amadi's initial reluctance, his mixed feelings about a new challenge, and his attempts to rationalize staying the same. Yet they also will likely be inspired, as Amadi is, by the possibilities of reading, the way it can fill one's heart and shine a light on the unknown. (Cynthia Leitich Smith, Children's Book Author)

Andrea Davis Pinkney

Amadi's Snowman is a beautiful tribute to the power of reading and one boy's journey of self-discovery through books. Dimitrea Tokunbo's evocative illustrations underscore the loving interchange between a mother and son. The richly hued paintings invite us to enjoy Nigeria's many splendors and provide the perfect stage for Katia Novet Saint-Lot's imaginative story. (Andrea Davis Pinkney, Coretta Scott King Honor Author of Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters)

Editorial Reviews

"Children will enjoy reading about Amadi’s life in the village, depicted in the earth-toned, intimate scenes. It’s a nice reversal that young children will be able to grasp—what looks exotic and faraway to one person is a place where someone else lives."

Booklist

"A beautiful tribute to the power of reading."

Andrea Davis Pinkney

Gr 1-4

Set in Nigeria, this contemporary story introduces an Igbo boy who doesn't see the value of literacy. When Amadi's mother tells him that Mrs. Chikodili is on her way to help him with his reading, he stubbornly declares, "I'll be a trader. I don't need to read to do business." He takes off for the market where he wanders by a bookstall and sees Chima, an older boy he respects, looking at a book. Amadi is mesmerized by an image on the pages, and Chima tells him about snow. Unable to get the idea out of his mind, Amadi returns later to look at the volume again, and is devastated when he sees Mrs. Chikodili buying it. Now that Amadi has a reason to read-to find out about the world beyond his town-he is motivated to learn. When he returns home, there is a surprise from Mrs. Chikodili waiting for him. Amadi's experiences are genuine and come across naturally in the narrative. The vibrant illustrations depict the setting and bring richness and depth to the story. An important addition to any library, this offering fills a necessary niche for current-day stories from other cultures and focuses attention on reading as an important and satisfying accomplishment.-Susannah Richards, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic

School Library Journal

Snowmen are not often found in small towns in Nigeria, but Amadi discovers one in, of all places, a book! The elementary-grade boy can do his sums but hates his weekly reading lesson. He wants only to be a trader, an honorable job for an "Igbo man of Nigeria" as he thinks of himself, but his small-businesswoman mother knows that the world is changing and everyone needs an education. Hoping to escape his tutor in the marketplace, he spots Chima, an older boy, actually enjoying a book with a picture that Amadi can't identify. What could be so white and round and have a carrot for a nose? Know-it-all Amadi starts to change his attitude when he realizes that there are things outside of his village life that he wants to learn about. Tokunbo's palette contrasts the bright colors of people's clothing, both contemporary and traditional, with the light-brown muddiness of the village roads and houses in her vigorous paintings. Purposeful, yet without the heavy didacticism of some books on the topic of literacy, this tale shines a welcome light on cultural differences. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews