Where Are You Going, Manyoni? [Hardcover]

Catherine Stock (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 1993 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"Manyoni is on her way to school; she gets up at dawn to walk two hours across the plain, along the Limpopo riverbed....As seen in Stock's beautifully rendered impressionistic watercolors...wild animals and birds are on almost every spread--more than 30 in all....A lovely book that draws the reader right in."--Kirkus Reviews. Pronouncing glossary.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stock ( Armien's Fishing Trip ) returns to Africa in her latest work, which follows a girl on her trek to a small village school near the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe. Her full-spread watercolors, highlighting the variegated browns and greens of the African veld, beautifully depict the country's diverse land formations, vegetation and animal population. Her narrative, too, paints a picture: "The calls of the woodland kingfishers tremble through the air as Manyoni crosses the fever tree pan . . . and enters the shady kloof where the shy impala feed." Action is minimal--the text is more vignette than story--allowing the reader to concentrate on the sumptuous landscapes. Stock concludes with a glossary, a picture dictionary of the various animals that appear in the illustrations and a brief note about how she set about painting them. The endpapers, notes Stock, contain copies of cave paintings "made by indigenous people . . . thousands of years ago. The land and its inhabitants probably appeared very much to them as it did to me." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-In text and illustrations, Stock tells the story of a child's long walk to school in rural Zimbabwe. She begins her journey in the family's outdoor kitchen and, along her way, passes a giant baobab tree, the dry bed of the Limpopo River, a bushpig foraging among the fig trees, baboons near the malala palms, the woodland kingfishers, the kloof (ravine), the koppies (boulders), the krantz (cliffs) above the dam, and the plains that lead to the village where her school is located. The book concludes with a much-needed glossary of unfamiliar geographical words and a picture list of the animals featured in the text. While the watercolor illustrations are certainly accurate and quite lovely, there is no story to speak of- only a chronicle of the girl's lengthy trek. The expansive double-page spreads provide plenty of opportunities for youngsters to search for Manyoni and to identify a rich array of wildlife. While the narrative is not as strong as the artwork, youngsters will enjoy this glimpse at a universal experience in another part of the world.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688103529
• ISBN-13: 978-0688103521
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Africa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the all-time best..., February 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Are You Going, Manyoni? (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books for young children. It raises the "Waldo" and "I Spy" concept into the realm of Art, while telling a lovely story about an African girl and her way of life. It encompasses a lot of real-world wildlife education, a little mystery (Where is Manyoni going?), and gentle multicultural comparisons which open up great conversations during and after reading. One of my children loved this book when she was 2, another is still reading it at 5, and my 9 year old used it recently to research what a wildebeest looks like. It is informative without being "teachy", and the pronunciation guide at the back makes it accessible for reading-aloud parents! Stock's illustrations are beautiful, and her gentle telling of a simple but profound story is perfect. I'll be treasuring this book for years, and giving it as a gift to little friends as long as I can!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks!, December 5, 2005

By 

Catherine J. Stock "Catherine Stock" (Rignac, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where Are You Going, Manyoni? (Hardcover)

I am actually the author/artist of this book. I have illustrated over eighty books but this is my favourite one, probably because I enjoyed working on it so much. I went to my sister's farm in Zimbabwe with another story in mind, but tossed it aside and did this one in a heightened moment of inspiration, much to the concern of my editor in New York. I want to thank the private Amazon reviewers for their enthusiasm. It is is still selling well, although was initially received without much fanfare from the editorial reviewers when it came out eleven years ago. Time Magazine chose it as one of their ten favourite children's books of the 1994.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, August 27, 2003

By 

S. Heinen (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where Are You Going, Manyoni? (Hardcover)

My girls (aged 7 and 2) both loved this book. We treated it as a mystery--after each page asking "where is Manyoni going?" It really kept the girls' attention while we looked at the beautiful illustrations and tried to guess her destination. I agree with the other reviewer's comparison to "Where's Waldo?". In the illustrations, it gets progressively more difficult to spot Manyoni as she gets smaller and smaller in relation to the surrounding landscape. My 2-year-old often could spot Manyoni much more quickly than I could. This book is a simple but entertaining story, beautifully illustrated and a nice introduction to southern African ecology and culture. Highly recommended, especially for pre-school children and those with an interest in Africa!