Too Small Tola Makes It Count
by Atinuke; illus. by Onyinye Iwu
Primary, Intermediate    Candlewick    96 pp.
9/24    9781536238150    $16.99
e-book ed.  9781536240030    $16.99

Atinuke returns for a fourth time (Too Small Tola, rev. 3/21, and sequels) to her diminutive, high-spirited, mathematically gifted protagonist’s “run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria,” with its close-knit and quirky neighbors. Much happens in the three brief chapters, with Iwu’s energetic, expressive black-and-white illustrations visually grounding readers in the setting and its culture while highlighting key story details. As Tola and her sister and brother readjust to living with Grandmommy after “the virus” had separated the family, Tola worries about elderly neighbor Mrs. Shaky-Shaky, isolated on the building’s top floor, and observes tensions between Grandmommy and Tola’s brother over his new friends. A beach day with Grandmommy prompts Tola to feel gratitude for all she has. Finally, she triumphs over accusations of dishonesty and learns lessons in accountability and forgiveness. Throughout, Atinuke lends specificity to her Nigerian setting through references, word choices, and dialogue capturing precise pronunciations and turns of phrase. “For true,” such attention to culturally situated details will prove just as valuable to readers as the core values communicated by these big-hearted stories about a small Nigerian girl.

From the "September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.