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Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! (2011)

by Atinuke(Favorite Author)

4.58 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1610670086 (ISBN13: 9781610670081)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Kane/Miller Book Publishers

series

Anna Hibiscus

review 1: I think the Anna Hibiscus books get better as you read through the series! While my daughter (age 6) and I enjoyed the first one, we've enjoyed each consecutive one more and more (and we've read them totally out of order after book 1). This was the second one we read. We enjoyed Anna's first sled ride, her determination to be herself in the midst of a cold, snowy Canada, her insecurity turned into friendships and memories, and her relationship with her grandmother (besides, who wouldn't want to eat chocolate cereal every morning?!).
review 2: This charming series features easy to read, realistic fiction short stories about Anna Hibiscus, an earnest and funny little girl growing up in "Africa. Amazing Africa." She lives with her parents, her extended family, and... more her two baby twin brothers who simply go by the names, "Double" and "Trouble." In this set of adventures, Anna is off to Canada to visit with her white grandmother. She has never seen snow before, is frightened of Grandma Canada's pet dog, isn't sure if she'll be able to stomach foreign food, and initially doesn't get along with the other kids in town. Everything resolves happily, of course, when Anna discovers that she loves playing in snow and Grandma's dog Qimmiq is able to come to her rescue when she finds herself lodged in a snowbank. While nothing will ever replace the tasty African food she is used to, Anna Hibiscus finds traditional Canadian Christmas food delicious too, and eventually comes to befriend the neighbor kids. While the book never explicitly states what country Anna Hibiscus lives in, or how old she is, I have to assume that she is probably a first-grader, and writer Atinuke says she was inspired by her own childhood growing up in Nigeria. The appealing illustrations which decorate nearly every page and large type make for a comfortable read for readers new to chapter books. I will put this series into the hands of children who are hungry for stories with black characters that are not set during the Civil War, or the 1960's. Warm, relateable, and unique, Anna Hibiscus is certain to take her rightful place beside Junie B. Jones, Clementine, Ruby Lu, Ramona and other classic early middle-grade fiction. less

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