cover image Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus!

Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus!

Atinuke, illus. by Lauren Tobia. EDC/Kane Miller, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-61067-367-9

Anna Hibiscus gains twin baby brothers in this companion to Anna Hibiscus’ Song. This time, though, happiness isn’t the primary emotion she is feeling; instead, she’s distraught at how disruptive the boys are to her familiar routines, and she promptly nicknames them Double Trouble. Atinuke and Tobia fill the story with details of Anna’s family’s modern-day life in Africa: her Uncle Bizi Sunday is busy making ogi (fermented cereal) for Anna’s mother, while her aunties take turns rocking the babies by the well outside. But what shines through most is the warmth and closeness of her large extended family, which still has plenty of time and attention to give to Anna, she learns. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)