In these four stories, each of which can stand alone, Anna Hibiscus overcomes stage fright, learns to manage her hair, appreciates power outages, and visits another part of her city. Anna Hibiscus is as vibrant as her family and her city in "Africa, amazing Africa."

"Anna 'biscus! Sing!"
"Your Hair, Anna Hibiscus!"
"Anna Hibiscus and the New Generator"
"The Other Side of the City"

See also: Too Small Tola ( )

In this follow-up to her initial collection of stories about Anna Hibiscus, a young girl living in Africa - "Amazing Africa!," as the narrator informs us - author Atinuke once again delivers a heartwarming story about a girl, her family, her city and her (unnamed) country. In Anna 'biscus! Sing!, our young heroine's singing prowess is recognized at school, and she is chosen to sing a solo at a welcoming ceremony for a foreign President, to be held at the National Stadium. When Anna, who is a natural songstress, freezes up on the big day, her twin brothers Double and Trouble know just what to do to get her going. Your Hair, Anna Hibiscus sees Anna rebelling against the involved hair-care process that all the women and girls of her extended family engaging in every Saturday, with predictably disastrous results. Anna Hibiscus and the New Generator relates how Anna's family once dealt with the periodic power outages affecting her city - talking and playing together, listening to Grandmother's stories - and how they behaved once their newly purchased generator made those outages a thing of the past. Finally, in The Other Side of the City, Anna learns just how fortunate she is when she convinces the elders of her family to allow her to visit the poorer part of the city. Her generosity prompts her to take action, with some surprising results...

I enjoyed Hooray for Anna Hibiscus! every bit as much as its predecessor, finding the eponymous Anna a believable and sympathetic young heroine. I continue to find the family dynamics depicted in Atinuke's stories immensely appealing, being particularly impressed with the way that her wise and patient grandparents allow her to make mistakes and to undertake potentially painful experiences, so that she can learn new things for herself. This is demonstrated in the story having to do with hair-care - when Anna insists she will follow her own road on the matter, her grandmother allows her to have her way, no doubt knowing that the resultant problems will be a better teacher for her granddaughter than anything she could say. Likewise, in the chapter in which Anna romanticizes the 'other' side of the city, her elders let her go and see what it is like herself, teaching her a valuable lesson about the many blessings she enjoys and the privations that so many others suffer. This episode reminded me of the story from the first collection of Anna Hibiscus stories, in which Anna thinks being an orange vendor is exciting, never considering what hard and unpleasant work it is for the girls who have no other choice. I have seen these books criticized for locating the story in 'Africa,' rather than in a specific country, but I think that Atinuke, who was herself born in Nigeria, has created an authentic sense of culture and place, even if that culture and place remain unnamed.

In sum: engaging, entertaining, and heartwarming, this second volume of Anna Hibiscus stories is a worthy follow-up to the first, and left me wanting more of its titular main character and her family. Recommended to anyone looking for beginning chapter-book fare featuring Africa, extended families, or feisty but goodhearted young girls. ( )

We just love this whole series. Great stories - wonderful characters! ( )

I've been eagerly awaiting this beginning chapter book series since I saw it mentioned online last year I've forgotten where of course! Sometimes, it seems like all beginning chapter books are the same. Actually, sometimes it seems like all children's books, realistic fiction at least, is the same. Kids' lives center around school, friends, and popularity. They have an argument with a friend, they don't have friends, they're having trouble in school, or they have a dead/divorced parent. Of course, that's what most kids worry about and deal with, so that's what they want to read about. But I'd like to think that some kids are interested in how kids in other cultures live. Those kids - and hopefully even the kids who are obsessed with popularity, media, and stuff - will find Anna Hibiscus intriguing, different, and completely delightful.

Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. We're never told exactly what country, but it's probably coastal Nigeria, since the author grew up in Nigeria and Anna lives near a big city near the coast. Anna lives in a compound with her Canadian mother, African father, and a huge family of cousins, aunts, uncles, and her twin baby brothers, benevolently ruled over by her wise grandparents.
In her first set of adventures, Anna's mother tries to have a family vacation with just her immediate family - and Anna and her mother realize just how much they need all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents! An aunt who has been in America returns home and everyone is worried that she will have forgotten African ways. Anna admires the orange sellers at their gates and disobeys grandfather to go sell oranges - resulting in a painful punishment and a hard lesson. Finally, Anna desperately wants to see snow and works out a way to make her dream come true!
In her second set of adventures, Anna is picked out to sing for a large audience, but it's her twin baby brothers who save the day when she freezes. Tired of all the fuss and painful braiding, Anna decides to opt out of braiding her hair - and learns the hard way that a few hours of pain is worth it! Anna's family tries out a new generator and decides sometimes the old ways are best. Finally, Anna gets her wish to go to the other side of the city but discovers it isn't at all what she had expected.
Anna is an exuberant, sympathetic character. Her very different culture and the poverty that surrounds her middle-class family are clearly portrayed without over-dramatizing issues or confusing explanations. Lauren Tobia's illustrations bring out the humor of the stories and the various characters, helping readers distinguish Anna's big, loving family. Beginning readers will be charmed by this glimpse into a fascinating, warm, exciting, lively world, very different from their own lives. I look forward to introducing our readers to Anna Hibiscus and encouraging them to try something new!

Verdict: Highly recommended! The only drawback is it can be difficult to get Kane Miller's books, especially complete series, through regular vendors. However, these are worth a little digging on Amazon, Book Depository, or ordering direct.

Anna Hibiscus
ISBN: 978-1935279730; Published June 2010 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

Hooray for Anna Hibiscus
ISBN: 978-1935279747; Published January 2010 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates