Emeka's Gift (Picture Puffins) [Paperback]

Ifeoma Onyefulu (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Picture Puffins

This is a concept book to teach and delight. As a young African boy travels to visit his grandmother, he passes through the village market, where he sees lots of things Granny would like— four brooms, five hats, six necklaces, seven musical instruments, and so on. Stunning photographs taken in Emeka's southern Nigerian village illustrate this heartwarming story. "A wonderful multidimensional story with universal appeal." — School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This unusual counting book cum photo-essay weaves into its narrative details of life among the Igala people of southern Nigeria. "One boy"-Emeka-walks to the neighboring village to visit his grandmother, wondering about a suitable gift for her. He passes various possibilities along the way ("four new brooms," the "big grown-up hats" modeled by five youngsters, etc.) and imagines how Granny might react to each one. In the end he can only share a hug with Granny, who declares that she has received "the best present of all." Using a simple framework, Onyefulu (A Is for Africa) sprinkles informative sidebars alongside her tale of Emeka's journey, enhancing the reader's understanding of a lesser-known culture. Lucid, attractively composed photographs of Igala people and their artifacts add to the book's multicultural import. Intelligently rendered and ultimately heartwarming. Ages 3-9.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-7. Photographs taken in a village in southern Nigeria are assembled in a counting story. On the way to visit his grandmother, Emeka sees people and objects--in groups numbering from 2 to 10. Each spread, whether one or two pages, contains a large photo of the people or objects, together with a panel featuring the number and a description and another panel showing some larger aspect of this world. For example, along with Emeka's thoughts on the eight water pots, is a brief box with information on the importance of water and its storage during the dry season. There is a nice balance between difference and sameness here: children play games in familiar ways, even when the games aren't familiar, and, refreshingly, the emphasis is on the artifacts of daily life rather than museum pieces. Mary Harris Veeder --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140565000
• ISBN-13: 978-0140565003
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,037,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > Africa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One, two, three cheers for Emeka!, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Emeka's Gift (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

My toddler daughter and I discovered this book on display at a special African exhibit of the Iowa Children's Museum. In a state with precious little diversity, the children were so curious about Emeka's African village world - so different from Iowa farms. After looking at the pictures of village life, my daughter wrapped herself in brightly-colored African fabrics and danced around shaking the sheker - just like she saw in Emeka's Gift.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars African tale with International appeal, October 29, 2005

By 

Eleanor Jeffers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emeka's Gift (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

I was delighted with this book and the American children with whom I shared it were entranced. I will be taking it with me as a gift to children in an orphanage near Nairobi but have already purchased a second copy to remain here in our church school.I highly recommend it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Counting Book, September 12, 2000

By 

Paul Martin (Waukesha, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emeka's Gift: An African Counting Book (Hardcover)

Fine for 3-8 year-olds, as the title indicates, this is a good counting book that exposes childern to Nigerian culture.

Wait, it's not boring. The author keeps the factual information to a minimum, just giving interesting tidbits of a different culture, so your little ones should find it compelling while mastering their counting.