Chidi Only Likes Blue: An African Book of Colours

Chidi Only Likes Blue: An African Book of Colours

by Ifeoma Onyefulu

Nneka's little brother Chidi is always saying that his favorite color is blue. When Nneka asks him why, he replies, "because the sky is blue and my best shirt is blue." So Nneka decides to teach him about other colors seen in their village -- red for the chiefs' caps, yellow for the "gari they eat, brown for the "okwe game board -- and to tell him why she likes them. Ifeoma Onyefulu here introduces young readers to a rainbow palette, African style, with warm words and photographs offering a colorful glimpse of Nigerian village life.

A young African girl, Nneka, teaches her younger brother, Chidi, all about colors and where they can be found in their African village. This is a great way to introduce children to a different culture while studying the basic colors. The glossy photographs portray beautiful pictures of vibrant colors throughout a real African village. African words are sprinkled throughout the text, accompanied by their phonetic spelling, so you and your child can practice pronouncing them together.

The pictures will encourage a flood of questions from your child, and ample opportunities for educational discussions. It's a great idea to talk about the items shown from Nneka and Chidi's village and compare or relate them to something similar from your own culture to help your child make the connections. Once they get the hang of it, your child can offer suggestions as well as demonstrate understanding. You can also stop at each color and ask your child what their favorite object of that color is in their own town.

My five-year-old friend Nick was excited to read this book together because his favorite color is blue - just like Chidi. Nick enjoyed seeing the different colors in the Nneka's village and asked questions as we went through. He was very interested in the chewing sticks and informed me he would rather use those than a toothbrush.

--Audra