Too Small Tola Makes It Count

September 1, 2024
Atinuke returns for a fourth time (Too Small Tola, rev. 3/21, and sequels) to her diminutive, high-spirited, mathematically gifted protagonist's "run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria," with its close-knit and quirky neighbors. Much happens in the three brief chapters, with Iwu's energetic, expressive black-and-white illustrations visually grounding readers in the setting and its culture while highlighting key story details. As Tola and her sister and brother readjust to living with Grandmommy after "the virus" had separated the family, Tola worries about elderly neighbor Mrs. Shaky-Shaky, isolated on the building's top floor, and observes tensions between Grandmommy and Tola's brother over his new friends. A beach day with Grandmommy prompts Tola to feel gratitude for all she has. Finally, she triumphs over accusations of dishonesty and learns lessons in accountability and forgiveness. Throughout, Atinuke lends specificity to her Nigerian setting through references, word choices, and dialogue capturing precise pronunciations and turns of phrase. "For true," such attention to culturally situated details will prove just as valuable to readers as the core values communicated by these big-hearted stories about a small Nigerian girl. Megan Dowd Lambert

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 25, 2024

Gr 2-4-The latest in this series returns to Lagos, Nigeria, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tola's family is reunited and living contentedly in their apartment block, working and playing much as they had before the lockdown. In the first of three stories, Tola negotiates a better living arrangement for her neighbor, Mrs. Shaky-Shaky, who can no longer safely climb stairs. In the second, Grandmommy takes Tola on a trip to the beach. And in the third, after a near-disaster while babysitting, Tola's reputation is enhanced by the lyrics in a popular song about her. Atinuke's voice has a traditional storyteller's inflection and lexicon with characters and setting of distinctly modern urban Africa, where some citizens are very wealthy and others are destitute. She doesn't flinch in her descriptions of the "run-down" apartment block where Tola's family lives, the grueling trip to a filthy beach, or the hard work that is everyone's responsibility. In this matter-of-fact treatment of the characters and setting, inequity is not much to complain about; everyone has a role to play in lifting others up, holding down the fort, and appreciating life as it is. Tola plays her part well. Though the book is marketed as a chapter book, the text complexity makes it also appropriate for upper elementary readers. VERDICT This series continues to serve as a window to Nigerian culture while it follows the conventions of both traditional storytelling and modern children's fiction.-Lisa Lehmuller

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
Atinuke returns for a fourth time (Too Small Tola, rev. 3/21, and sequels) to her diminutive, high-spirited, mathematically gifted protagonist's "run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria," with its close-knit and quirky neighbors. Much happens in the three brief chapters, with Iwu's energetic, expressive black-and-white illustrations visually grounding readers in the setting and its culture while highlighting key story details. As Tola and her sister and brother readjust to living with Grandmommy after "the virus" had separated the family, Tola worries about elderly neighbor Mrs. Shaky-Shaky, isolated on the building's top floor, and observes tensions between Grandmommy and Tola's brother over his new friends. A beach day with Grandmommy prompts Tola to feel gratitude for all she has. Finally, she triumphs over accusations of dishonesty and learns lessons in accountability and forgiveness. Throughout, Atinuke lends specificity to her Nigerian setting through references, word choices, and dialogue capturing precise pronunciations and turns of phrase. "For true," such attention to culturally situated details will prove just as valuable to readers as the core values communicated by these big-hearted stories about a small Nigerian girl.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)