Gizo-Gizo!: A Tale from the Zongo Lagoon

by Emily Williamson

Winner of the 2017 Children's Africana Book Award for Best Book, Young Readers! Gizo-Gizo the spider is a lazy, selfish fellow. So when he starts a gold mine that pollutes the Zongo Lagoon and makes other animals sick, naturally he ignores everyone else's concerns. ''Someday, when I am rich, I will buy this place,'' he tells them. ''I can do whatever I want!'' But when the fish groan with upset stomachs and the frogs wince from sore throats caused by the filthy water, Tortoise and Crab decide that things have gone too far. They come up with a clever plan to teach their friend Spider a lesson and make him clean up his mess. Originally written and drawn by students from Cape Coast, Ghana, this community-created, contemporary folktale examines environmental sustainability and personal responsibility. And with colorful illustrations inspired by West African textiles and a text that includes Hausa words and phrases, it also provides a great platform for cross-cultural exploration.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 3, 2018

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly cool book for kids dealing with diversity. Based on the Zongo story project, Emily Williamson, worked with students in Ghana to write a story about an event in their lives.
A young boy shared about dirty water from mining companies in the north that polluted their rivers and lakes. For over a month, these children and their families had no access to clean water.
They helped write this book they wanted to see in the world. A book that speaks to them, and reflects their daily lives. It is also a model for other student creators, who write and illustrate their own stories.

[Ashley Bostrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Gizo-Gizo. Think The Lorax meets Anansi. It’s an important story for kids to hear. My only complaint was how quickly Spider was able to clean up the lake: “many, many days of hard work.” It has the possibility of making kids think that there’s a quick solution to the world’s climate issues.

[Shahida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book to my students. It was a cute tale using animal characters to illustrate the impact of water pollution by both individuals and corporations—and how, although it can be difficult, it is possible to clean up polluted waters.