Customer Reviews

Where Are You Going, Manyoni?

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

 

 

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!

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.

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!

Can I give this more than 5 stars? My kids love this book (and so do I). When we read it, they take turns on alternate pages "finding" Manyoni (almost like a "where's waldo" thing). The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. The story is simple and sweet. And did I mention the illustrations? You'll love it as much as the kids will!

I received this book as a gift for my 7-month-old daughter, who is half Zimbabwean. I love it - the illustrations beautifully (and, I understand, accurately) depict the Zimbabwean landscape. The lovely, simple storyline introduces a variety of local animals and landscape features with the appropriate terms. I can't wait to read it to her! My only regret is that it is not also available in Shona, as it is very difficult to find children's books in Shona. I plan to get other books illustrated by this author now.