Joyous fun with Anna Hibiscus!

Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia(Walker Books, 2013)Good to Read for:its irresistible joychallenging stereotypical ideasdiversifying your child's bookshelfPicture books have many roles. 

They show kids how to be emotionally healthy. They entertain and can affirm. 

This week’s recommendation – Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia (Walker Books, 2013) –does two other things that are noteworthy in picture books:

It challenges preconceptions of life in Africa.

It depicts a biracial family.

Atinuke and Tobias's portrayal of Africa is striking. There’s not a mud hut, stretch of savannah or giraffe in sight. Instead, it reflects modern Africa (Atinuke was born and grew up in Nigeria). A cityscape – complete with colourful billboards, satellite dishes and fire escapes – spans the front endpapers and reaches right up to the seashore. A bus travels between the sky-rise buildings, and a jet passes overhead. 

The title page zooms in closer to a family travelling on a motorboat. In the middle of them all, smiling and waving at the reader, is the irrepressible Anna Hibiscus. No wonder she looks so happy – she’s on a family day trip to the beach! But it’s not any ordinary beach. Because

 

Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa.

Amazing Africa.

 

Splash, Anna Hibiscus! exudes joy. (Even the waves are described as laughing.) ‘The sun is hot. The sand is hot.’ In her beautiful illustrations, Tobias reflects the day’s heat using strong shadows and the clear blue sea.

‘Anna Hibiscus looks at the splashing waves.’ They look so inviting – and she’s desperate for someone to join her in the sea.

 

She wants to splash in the laughing waves.

And she wants to splash with somebody!

 

Unfortunately for Anna, everyone is busy doing their own thing and having fun: ‘Benz and Wonderful are playing football with the beach boys.’ The teenage girls are on their phones.

   

The authentic African names draw you in and lend a sense of credibility. In other words, this is a totally believable family on a day trip to the beach. But they’re not visiting any ordinary beach. It’s a tropical idyll, and everyone’s out to enjoy themselves! The grown-ups relax and catch up with each other. ‘Grandmother and Grandfather are reading their newspapers.’ The kids are playing and hanging out.

As with the picture book So Much, Atinuke uses a few colloquialisms that make reading this aloud fun. Here’s a lovely example from the boys playing football on the beach:

 

"Kick the ball!" shouts Benz.

" Wondaful girl, kick'am!" shouts Wonderful.

 

But Anna has her own idea of fun. She persistently goes from one family member to another, hoping someone will join her. The teenage girls are too busy with their phones. “We are too big now for playing,” says Clarity. It's a lovely scene showing the older cousins hanging out in an old truck tyre under a shady palm. Small birds peck among the foliage and a trail of leafcutter ants are hard at work. Meanwhile, Anna’s mother is busy plaiting Auntie Grace’s hair (who’s husking corn cobs for lunch). 

Now here’s a significant detail: Anna’s redheaded mother. She’s the only white face in the book (and it’s the only face to receive a liberal dollop of sun cream!). Like the character’s creator, Atinuke, Anna Hibiscus is mixed race. Picture books portraying such kids are uncommon but welcome – because all kids need to see themselves reflected in the books they read if they are to be affirmed. (Another effortless example is Mr Scruff by Simon James.)

Back to the story and Anna’s quest for someone to splash in the sea with. She waits a long time for Papa. ‘But the men don’t ever stop talking.’ As for her grandparents – well, they’re fast asleep in the shade of the boat!

 

Anna Hibiscus looks around.

There is nobody left to ask.

 

For a moment, Anna’s smile has left her. But this quiet, reflective moment doesn’t last long. The enticing waves are ‘jumping and splashing.’ They want to play with somebody.

And Anna is more than ready.

 

Splash!

The white waves splash Anna Hibiscus.

Oh! Anna Hibiscus splashes back.

Jump!

The white waves jump on Anna Hibiscus.

Oh! Anna Hibiscus jumps back.

Hee-hee!

The white waves laugh at Anna Hibiscus. 

Oh! Anna Hibiscus laughs back.

“Hee-hee!

Hee-hee! Hee-hee!”

   

It was a lovely touch to personify the waves, and Atinuke’s description of Anna’s interaction is perfect for young readers who will relish the repetition. Anna Hibiscus’s happiness bubbles up from inside her. It’s utterly contagious – and I defy anyone to keep a straight face in the presence of such a joyful character.

 

Hee-hee! Hee-hee! Hee-hee!

 

The sound of Anna’s laughter is irresistible. One by one, her family leave their activities to join the fun. “Wait for me!” Even the cool, older cousins:

 

“We are not that old,” says Clarity.

“We're not that busy,” says Common Sense.

“Phones are so boring,” says Joy. “Come on!”

 

Before you know it, the whole family are ‘all running down the hot yellow sand’ to splash and laugh together.

‘Only Anna and her…mother have actual bathing suits’, notes Kirkus Reviews. ‘[T]he others happily plunge in their street clothes. Everyone smiles; Anna is irresistible.’

It’s a beautiful moment of unity and love.

   

The story ends with Anna Hibiscus snuggling in her mother’s arms under the shady trees. Atinuke repeats her opening line: Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa.

To which she adds,

 

Anna Hibiscus is amazing too.

 

From the story’s setting to the unique names and detailed textiles, Anna Hibiscus celebrates Atinuke’s love of her African culture.

Perhaps most significantly, the story challenges stereotypical views of Africa and how children in modern Africa might live. And despite the differences between our own and developing countries, this story perfectly captures the truth that we are united by ‘our human joys and sorrows.’ [Booktrust] As the New York Times notes, ‘[t]hough the details of place are specific, family and surf are global pleasures’.

Tips for sharing Splash, Anna Hibiscus!

Use it to reflect on your own family. Discuss what each of you prefers to do at the beach and affirm that it's OK to enjoy different things.

The writer Atinuke was born and grew up in Nigeria. Help your child find it on a map and explain how it’s part of the larger continent of ‘amazing Africa’.

Suggest to your kids that Anna laughs because the waves tickle. Then see if you can elicit your own tickly giggles as Anna splashes in the sea.

STORIES WORTH SHARINGSplash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia(Walker Books, 2013)Good to Read for:its irresistible joychallenging stereotypical ideasdiversifying your child's bookshelfCopyright © 2013 Atinuke (Text) & Lauren Tobia (Illustrations)From SPLASH, ANNA HIBISCUS! by Atinuke & Lauren TobiaReproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London, SE11 5HJCheck out the best-selling Anna Hibiscus series on Atinuke's website.GOOD TO READBest picture books to diversify your child's bookshelf

Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke & Lauren Tobia

I Am the Subway by Kim Hyo-eun (translated by Deborah Smith)

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson

Only You Can Be You by Nathan & Sally Clarkson & Tim Warnes

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Mr Scruff by Simon James

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Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia (Walker Books, 2013) Splash, Anna Hibiscus! (booktrust.org.uk) Bookshelf: Africa, Atinuke’s Splash, Anna Hibiscus and More (The New York Times, 10 November 2013) Splash, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke & Lauren Tobia (Catherine Friess, storysnug.com, 31 January 2014) About Me (atinuke.co.uk)Splash, Anna Hibiscus From the Anna Hibiscus series (Kane Miller, kirkusreviews.com, 15 July 2013)Are you stuck for quality stories that you and your kids will enjoy? Sign up for your free weekly email with story recommendations and tips. sign up here © 2022 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE