10 African Story Books For Kids To Read This Summer

Summer is upon us and now is the perfect time to get kids reading and learning something new. See below for our list of books either set in Africa, about Africa, or with an African lead character. The list contains a variety of books from picture books to chapter books. We hope you enjoy browsing!

1) Feyi Fay and the Case of the Mysterious Madam Koi Koi

With the help of a magical app, Feyi Fay travels the world helping kids solve problems from bullying to making friends to monsters underneath their beds! The first book in the series takes Feyi to England to help a little boy with a mysterious case. An old Nigerian legend seems to have come alive in the boy's living room!

Armed with glitter that makes you invisible, cookies that make you giant-sized, and a stick that shrinks you as tiny as an ant, Feyi Fay arrives on the scene and saves the day!

2) Grandma's List

Fatima is determined to save the day. She wants to help Grandma with her to-do list so that everyone will realize that she is a big girl now! But the errands don’t go exactly as expected…Fatima, what have you done?

3) Africa's Little Kings and Queens

Africa’s Little Kings & Queens is a collection of four beautifully illustrated rhyming picture books inspired by ancient Africa’s most influential leaders. Perfect for introducing the next generation of young leaders, thinkers, and game-changers to Africa’s great history. Suitable reading for ages 3 - 8 years old.

4) Mystery At Ebenezer Lodge

The Ilesanmi children are on holiday at their grandparents’ house in Ibadan, until their grandfather has to travel to Ilorin urgently. Along with their neighbor, Nosa, they are sent to spend one week in the care of their grandmother’s aunt, 79-year-old Mama Onireke of Ebenezer Lodge. But the old mansion holds more in store for them than a quiet holiday. Someone is getting into the old buildings on the grounds without using the doors. The children are determined to get to the root of the mystery at all costs.

5) The Mysterious Melody

Twins Naniso and Shinga live in England. They find each other annoying, but when it comes to the crunch, they always have each other’s back. When they are both awakened in the early hours of the morning by a mysterious melody, they join forces to find the source. With a little help from some unlikely friends, they find the origin of the sound, open a portal to their Zimbabwean heritage and begin a journey of discovery into what makes them who they are!

6) One Plastic Bag

The inspiring true story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community. Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. Water pooled in them, bringing mosquitoes and disease. Some bags were burned, leaving behind a terrible smell. Some were buried, but they strangled gardens. They killed livestock that tried to eat them. Something had to change.

Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person's actions really can make a difference in our world.

7) Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

Onyeka has a lot of hair­—the kind that makes strangers stop in the street and her peers whisper behind her back. At least she has Cheyenne, her best friend, who couldn’t care less what other people think. Still, Onyeka has always felt insecure about her vibrant curls…until the day Cheyenne almost drowns and Onyeka’s hair takes on a life of its own, inexplicably pulling Cheyenne from the water.

At home, Onyeka’s mother tells her the shocking truth: Onyeka’s psycho-kinetic powers make her a Solari, one of a secret group of people with superpowers unique to Nigeria. Her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari are trained. But Onyeka and her new friends at the academy soon have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves embroiled in a momentous battle between truth and lies…

8) Afia the Ashanti Princess: A Visit to the Motherland

Looking for an engaging book to teach children about building self-confidence, developing a sense of pride in their family history, and looking beyond tiaras and princess dresses? This is it! Afia is a young girl who dreams of being a princess but doesn't know of any princesses who look like her. She travels to Ghana to visit her grandmother and learns about her ancestor who was a brave warrior queen. This is the debut story in the Ashanti Princess and Prince book series.

9) Mama's Amazing Cover Cloth

Do you know that the African woman’s cover cloth has many uses? In this delightful book that young children will enjoy, a little girl shares the many uses of her mother’s amazing cover cloth.

10) The Adventures of Obi and Titi: The Hidden Temple of Ogiso

Deep in the heart of Africa, two young children unwittingly find a hidden temple and a magical map. This discovery sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever. For once they must settle their differences and work together as they set off on an adventure to save the Benin kingdom and the ones they love.