Author: Nnedi Okorafor

Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini

Publisher: Lantana Publishing

Awards: Winner of the Children’s Africana Best Book Award 2016, White Ravens Honour List 2017, Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava 2017

Summary

When Anyuago is jolted awake in the middle of the night by a loud noise in the kitchen, the last thing she expects to find is a... giant chicken?! Her panic deepens as she watches the chicken devour the yam dishes her family spent hours preparing for the New Yam Festival the next day. Uncertain of the chicken's hunger or how to stop it, Anyuago has no choice but to call upon the elusive Wood Wit spirit for help. But the more she attempts to communicate with the chicken, the more she cowers away in the shadows—until she finally trusts the spirit’s wisdom to stop resisting and simply listen. Soon, Anyuago hears a familiar hum that calls her out of hiding. It turns out, her supposed adversary may not be so strange after all. And by morning, as the festival celebrations begin, she spots a familiar creature hidden in plain sight among the masqueraders—one that has swayed to the rhythm for generations, and will continue to do so for many more. There's enough yam to share for everyone in this enchanting tale that brings the vibrant West African masquerade traditions to life!

Book Context

The New Yam Festical is celebrated by many ethnic groups in Nigeria, including Igbo, Yoruba, and Idoma members. This holiday marks the end of rainy season and the start of harvest season for yams, which is a crop that is traditionally offered to ancestral spirits and deities as gratitude for the harvest that has passed, and that is yet to come. On this day, people flood the village streets in song, dance, theater, and masquerade festivities. There is a large masquerade culture across communities in Africa where decorative costumes and masks are worn to embody the spirits and ancestors.

What I love about this story is the African folklore woven into the tale, just as intricately as the tapestry and slightly dark, moody illustration style. In Africa, legends tell stories of ancestors living in the trees, which are often seen as sacred and holding magical powers for performing both great and wicked deeds. Some believe the Iroko tree in southwest Nigeria is inhabitated by a spirit, the Iroko-man, who can be heard in houses that use Iroko timber. I’d speculate that the Wood Wit has some inspiration from these stories and traditions, which add wonderfully to the immersion of the festivities in the story.