Light a Candle / Tumaini pasipo na Tumaini
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Oct 2019
- Category
- Africa, Boys & Men, Adolescence
- Recommended Age
- 3 to 5
- Recommended Grade
- p to k
- Recommended Reading age
- 3 to 5
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781459817005
- Publish Date
- Oct 2019
- List Price
- $19.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459817029
- Publish Date
- Oct 2019
- List Price
- $16.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Co-written by Eric Walters and Godfrey Nkongolo, Light a Candle weaves non-fiction with fiction to tell the story of a boy coming of age in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The son of the village's chief climbs the mountain against his father’s wishes to fulfill a request of the country’s first leader, Julius Nyerere, to light a candle on the top of the mountain and unify the mainland of Tanganyika and the islands of Zanzibar as one country, the United Republic of Tanzania.
This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Swahili.
About the authors
Godfrey Nkongolo is a doctoral student in political science with extensive experience working in international and community development in Tanzania. One of his passions both within his studies and beyond is to promote African thought and to show the world that Africa has a message of hope even though the story of Africa that is most widely known is one of despair. This book is, therefore, a part of his life mission—to promote a positive message of, and from, Africa. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario with his family.
Godfrey Nkongolo's profile page
Eric Walters is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels for children and young adults. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow, Ruth Schwartz, and Tiny Torgi, and have received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book Awards and UNESCO's international award for Literature in Service of Tolerance.
Eric lives in Mississauga with his wife, Anita, and three children, Christina, Nicholas, and Julia. When not writing or touring across the country speaking to school groups, Eric spends time playing or watching soccer and basketball, or playing the saxophone.
To find out more about Eric and his novels, or to arrange for him to speak at your school, visit his website at www.ericwalters.net.
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EVA CAMPBELL is an artist and illustrator who teaches visual art. She has exhibited her work in Canada, the US, the UK, Barbados and Ghana. Eva won the Children’s Africana Book Award for her illustrations in The Matatu by Eric Walters. She also illustrated Africville by Shauntay Grant, winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration, and a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist. Eva lives in Victoria.
Awards
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
- Nominated, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award
- Commended, Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year
Editorial Reviews
“An informative story...Campbell's colorful and highly textured paintings capture the vastness of the terrain and the vibrancy of the characters’ patterned clothing...The importance of freedom in Tanzania comes through clearly.”
Kirkus Reviews
“This beautifully illustrated bilingual picture book combines simple language with complex ideas about freedom, peace, and independence...Would work well as an addition to any home, school, or classroom library, or as part of a writing unit working with themes of bravery, wisdom, and determination. Highly Recommended.”
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“This beautifully illustrated book brings history to life for the young reader. With a positive message of hope and community building, Light a Candle would be a welcome addition to classroom and library shelves.”
Canadian Teacher Magazine
“This is an excellent choice for a Read Aloud at the elementary level. Opportunities abound because not only could it introduce a unit on multicultural studies but also a unit on how fiction often mirrors history and can be developed to tell an inspirational story.”
Must Read Literature: K thru YA
