Atinuke is a storyteller and the author of two children’s book series. She was born in Nigeria, but at the age of ten, convinced her parents to send her to England to attend boarding school. Atinuke endured homesickness but was happily reunited with her family when they moved to England three years later. She went on to study at the University of York and found herself traveling afterwards, telling stories about “Africa and the African diaspora.” The eponymous first book series, Anna Hibiscus, deals with life in Africa and has themes of class and family. Atinuke’s desire to write Anna Hibiscus was fueled by her boarding school peers who knew little about Africa. Her second series, The No. 1 Car Spotter, features Oluwalase, a boy who loves spotting cars, this story was written for her sons. Click on the book titles for a description of each in the series and for reviews.
Written storytelling is the play of one person’s mind and heart and imagination. I love making up stories, playing and playing with them, and then sharing them in my books. Oral storytelling is sharing a story that has been ‘worked’ on by centuries of storytellers. I love the fact that when I get up on stage to tell stories I am telling a story that humans have been telling to each other for centuries, that has been proved to be important.
Books
Anna Hibiscus (2007)
Hooray for Anna Hibiscus # 2 (2008)Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus! #3(2009)
Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! #4 (2010)
Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus! #5 (2012)
Go Well, Anna Hibiscus! #6 (2014)
Anna Hibiscus' Song (2011)
Splash, Anna Hibiscus!(2013)
The No 1 Car Spotter (2010)
The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird #2 (2011)
