Customer Reviews

Amadi's Snowman

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker

Amadi is a young Igbo man of Nigeria. His mother wants him to learn to read so that he can have a good job someday, and she has make arrangements for Mrs. Chikodili to teach him without charge. However, Amadi wants to be a trader and feels that he does not have to know how to read. So instead of waiting for Mrs. Chikodili, he escapes to the market. While there, he sees an older friend, Chima, who is reading a book at a stall. The book has pictures of a strange white creature with a nose that looks like a carrot, and Amadi is intrigued. Of course, if Amadi could read, he could learn all about snow. So, is it barely possible that reading could open up a new world for a young Igbo man of Nigeria?

This is a truly wonderful story because it not only emphasizes the importance of knowing how to read but also reminds children in this country how fortunate they are in having the opportunity of learning how to read and in having a seemingly unlimited supply of books at their disposal. It has the added benefit of helping children gain a better understanding of life for young people in Nigeria. Author Katia Novet Saint-Lot has lived in Nigeria when her husband's work for UNICEF took them there, and the father of Dimitrea Tokunbo, whose captivating illustrations add so much to the book, grew up in Nigeria. Teachers and parents can visit the Tilbury
House website for a special take home section to use with the book that features activities, discussion points, and further resources. I give this book two thumbs up!

A fabulous book, well written, interesting with perfect message for children:
READ, READ, READ!
Highly recommended!

madi, a young Igbo boy in Nigeria doesn't see a reason for learning how to read, so he disobeys his mother and runs off to market instead of waiting for his reading teacher to arrive. After all, he IS going to be an Igbo businessman, and they certainly have much more to do than sit around and read.

As he's walking through the market, Amadi notices an older boy he knows reading a book with an interesting picture of a snowman inside. The boy, Chima, tells Amadi about snow, something he has never even heard of, and for the rest of the day, Amadi's mind is full of questions. Maybe there's more to reading after all...

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that I'm a huge proponent of literacy. Knowing how to read is not only a crucial survival skill, but LOVING to read can open your eyes to so many new people, places, and things. This is why I like Amadi's Snowman.

I'm not a fan of heavy-handed messages, and this book could have easily gone in that direction. However, Katia Novet Saint-Lot passes on the message of the importance of literacy through the eyes of a curious child. I've always heard stories of reluctant readers finding THE book that turned them onto reading, and in Amadi's case, it was a book about a snowman. Don't get me wrong...the message is still there, but I don't think it's too "preachy."

Also, by telling us the story of a boy in Nigeria, Ms. Saint-Lot is opening OUR eyes to another culture. We get a great description of the marketplace, learn a bit about business in Nigeria, and meet a boy who I think a lot of children will relate to even though he's in a different part of the world.

Dimitria Tokunbo's earth-toned illustrations with vivid splashes of color take us straight to Nigeria and draw us into its rich culture.

This book shares a critical message in an engaging and unintimidating manner and would be a good addition to any school, home, or classroom library. Teachers and homeschool parents, visit Tilbury House's website for a variety of discussion questions and resources you can use with the book.

One of my standard rants is about books set in Africa that don't name a particular culture or language. AMADI'S SNOWMAN is not one of those irritating stories. From the first sentence, we are taken to a particular village where we meet the one-and-only Amadi, a self-described "Igbo man of Nigeria."

In the first scene, our hero is "crouched in the shrubs, stalking a red-headed lizard." Talk about evoking a sense of place and conveying character with a single economical phrase!

Understandably, Amadi is wondering why in the world he would need to read if he plans on being a businessman like his father. But when he glimpses a snowman in an older boy's book, he's snared by curiosity about this foreign carrot-nosed creation and decides to learn to read.

Novet Saint-Lot has written a universal story about the power of literacy without losing sight of the delightful particulars of one boy's life. Dimitrea Tokumbo, whose father was raised in Nigeria, widens our world with bright and beautiful illustrations.

I was reminded of Plato's cave allegory as I read Amadi's Snowman, because by the end I found myself completely smitten with Mitali's Amadi.

And so will you.

This is a wonderful children's story. Amadi wants to grow up and become a business man. It's something he is already familiar with. He knows the market place. He doesn't need to learn to read. Until the day when a photo catches his eye and peaks his curiousity. What is it? If he could read, maybe the book would tell him. The story will show children how the joy of reading can take them to new worlds and places that they've never been to before. The illustrations are fun and delightful. The warm colors of the African village are inviting. Children will love this book. Buy it!

For those of us who read in the same way that we breathe, sometimes it's easy to take that activity for granted. We forget the inherent magic that comes from the printed word floating from the page into an imagination and the excitement that comes when that flow first occurs.

When a book reminds us of how special it was to learn to read, and how much we once yearned to know how to do that, that book is special. Amadi's Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot and illustrated by Dimitrea Tokunbo is one of those books that gives us back the hunger and eagerness that we once had for learning to read. A short story in the form of a picture book--and a beautiful one at that!--this book gave me chills as I read it, and when I finished the last jubilant page, I immediately went back to the beginning and read it again.

This is one of those remarkable books that is meant for all ages, where the pictures and the text come together seamlessly in a glowing, perfectly blended, and wonderful world of its own. I love this book and can't wait to share it with (and give it to) other people who will love it just as much as I do. Thank you, Katia, Dimitrea, and Amadi!

The subject matter of literacy - of wanting to read - is heavy. Saint-Lot writes beautifully, her Amadi is genuine, and the little readers ends up cheering Amadi on to feel the same zing as they do, that "yes, books are amazing" feeling. He is so much like every child; sometimes silly, sometimes thoughtful. Children connect to Amadi, immediately. Little readers love to follow him through his day. He falls in love with a book, as children have since forever. They feel powerful that reading is something they are learning (or have learned) to do, they want to see how Amadi feels about learning to read. I bought this for all the children in my life, and gift them out as birthdays and holidays come around. They uniformly give "thumbs up" to Amadi's Snowman.

Katia Novet Saint-Lot's beautiful picture book tells the story of a proud, young Igbo man, Amadi, who plans to grow up and be a businessman. His mother wants him to learn to read, but Amadi sees no need for reading. He's already good with numbers - what would he need reading for? Until he catches sight of something in a book that needs to be explained. Something that forces his imagination to stretch to new limits.

Katia's effortless prose, along with the colorful illustrations of Dimitrea Tokunbo, create beautiful imagery of hot Nigeria where Amadi lives and at the same time convincingly protrays the engima of snow. Amadi's Snowman is a delightful trip to another part of the world yet rings with familiarity as we fondly remember the magic and power of learning to read.