An African Princess [Hardcover]

Lyra Edmonds (Author), Anne Wilson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A young girl makes some reassuring discoveries about her identity when she visits her mother's island home in this upbeat story matched with bold, richly patterned illustrations.


I walk tall and say, "I'm Lyra. I'm an African princess. That's me."

Lyra's mama tells her that she's a princess from Africa. But at school
the kids poke fun and call her silly. How many African princesses have
freckles and live on the tenth floor? But on a visit to the Caribbean, Lyra meets her Taunte May, who shows Lyra how she is one in a long line of princesses from Africa. Based on author Lyra Edmonds's own life and beautifully illustrated with Anne Wilson's richly textured art, this is the wonderful story of a child who learns to be proud of who she is.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Lyra's mother has always told her that she is descended from a princess captured in Africa and taken to the Caribbean. When the girl shares this information with her schoolmates, they don't believe her, and she begins to doubt who she is: "There are not many African princesses who live on the tenth floor and have freckles like me." One day, Lyra's mother tells her that they are going to visit "our African princess, Taunte May." Although specific places are not mentioned in the text, Wilson's colorful mixed-media illustrations suggest that the girl and her family dwell in a large city in Europe or America and they travel to a tropical, exotic country–in the Caribbean perhaps. Taunte May ends up teaching Lyra about African princesses all around the world who are part of her family. By the time the girl returns to school, she is once again confident about her true identity. Edmonds's delivery of this message is light and brief, but clear nonetheless. There is still room for more books showing princesses of color, making this one a welcome addition. Pair it with Joyce Carol Thomas's The Gospel Cinderella (HarperCollins, 2004).–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. The kids at school poke fun at Lyra, who says she is an African princess, even though she lives on the tenth floor of a city apartment building and her dad is white. But when her parents take her back to the far-off savanna where Mama played as a child, she meets her elderly Taunte May, who tells her to be proud of her family, which began in Africa long ago and spread around the world. They are all princesses, says Taunte May, all part of her big family tree. It's not clear why Lyra must feel like a princess in order to be proud, and the vagueness of the setting (does she visit the Caribbean or some African country?) makes the story generic rather than universal. What works here is the mixed heritage identity aspect, and the bright, playful collage pictures, which, like a patchwork quilt, mix together city images with bits and pieces of tropical birds, monkeys, trees, and people from everywhere. The pictures celebrate the diversity of Lyra's roots and connections across time and space. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763625957
• ISBN-13: 978-0763625955
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,564,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely self-esteem building book, November 8, 2011

By 

Jersey Gal - See all my reviews

This review is from: An African Princess (Hardcover)

This is a very cute and simple story about the author, Lyra, and her discovering of what it means to be an African princess. My adopted Haitian daughter loves this book and begs to have it read to her over and over. Great for building self-esteem in our brown-skinned girls and also for families wishing to explore cultural diversity.