Our Story Starts in Africa

This brilliant, vibrant picture book tells the story of Africa and its people in an engaging, sensitive, and child-friendly way. The book is set in Trinidad where Paloma, full of excitement to be visiting family, is confused when her cousins refuse to play with her, saying that she does not talk like them and so cannot be family. Tante Janet then ably addresses the issues of the wider African diaspora by telling Paloma the story of the oldest family in the world, a family that she, Paloma and her cousins all descend from. Tante Janet’s story starts in Africa and celebrates the peaceful, creative history of its stories, trading, art, weaving, music, and writing. The story does not shy away from talking about slavery, colonisation and the scramble for Africa’s land and resources. Paloma feels empowered by tales of past warrior Queens and by hopes for Africa’s future and the book ends with the united, loving family looking up at the stars from their Trinidadian garden.

Patrice Lawrence succeeds beautifully in combining a celebration of African history and achievement with a child friendly treatment of difficult subjects such as war, slavery, and colonisation. This book will facilitate conversations with children about African history, legacy, potential and about the African diaspora. The text is complemented perfectly by Jeanetta Gonzales’ warm and vivid illustrations of a lively family in a lush, tropical Trinidadian environment. The sepia tones of the illustrations depicting historical events contrast effectively with the bright, Caribbean colours. There is an informative note from the author at the end of the book and two pages of further answers to questions that a curious child like Paloma would ask. This is an excellent book, one to share with children of all ages, a must have title for home and library shelves, and highly recommended.