A bold and bright picture book about being brave when you’re scared in a new, overwhelming environment

Esi is a brave Ghanaian girl who is not afraid of anything. Monsters and ghosts should be scared of her!

When she sets off for the annual Kakamotobi Festival with her parents, she’s confident she’ll be fine. Her mother warns that there’s going to be loud music and scary masks and a very big crowd, but Esi’s unconcerned. She’s not afraid of anything.

But when they get to the festival and her parents suddenly disappear in a crowd of terrifying monster masks, Esi realizes that to save her parents, she’ll have to be the bravest she’s ever been. With detail-packed illustrations and a text begging to be read aloud, this is the perfect story about finding your inner strength to be brave.

BIO

Bernard Mensah grew up in Ghana, where he spent his days climbing trees, playing soccer, or dreaming up stories at the library.

Bernard now lives in the United Kingdom with his family, where he works with computers and writes stories.

Bernard is deeply passionate about weaving African experiences, stories, and traditions in children's literature. He conducts extensive research for every book he writes to ensure an authentic representation of African culture.

REVIEWS

“Sensate rhymes by Mensah, making his children’s debut, offer musicality, while brightly patterned illustrations from Figueroa express big emotions in this tale of courage and culture.” --Publishers Weekly

“The Kakamotobi Festival is brought to life by gorgeously textured digital illustrations, exploding with patterns and vibrant, jewel-toned hues. Words swoop across pages, following both Esi’s emotions and theshapes of the images themselves, and Figueroa’s deft use of space . . . Though Esi is scared, the drawings are never scary and mix delightfully with the story’s light use of rhyme and alliteration, making for a joyful readaloud with lots of room for stomping, dancing, and monster-face-making.” -- BCCB

[H]  Dial Books  /  September 10, 2024

0.4" H x 11.1" L x 8.8" W (0.9 lbs) 32 pages

For ages 4 to 8