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samgray's review
5.0
A fantastic primer to begin learning about African history! I appreciated that the author made great efforts to choose stories from across the continent and focus on pre-colonial history, much of which I had never been taught.
The art is gorgeous and definitely took this book from great to astounding! Being able to connect the 'icons' to their recreated picture brought them to life!
Some other reviews focused only on the Egyptian chapters, so I was happily surprised to find that this little book spans farther than Ancient Egypt.
The book is written like a textbook but is broken up into short chapters that focus either on an idea or historical figure. I felt that the target audience was probably late elementary school to middle school, but the information was still new to me! The chapters' main ideas connect to create a narrative that spans the history from Ancient Egypt to the beginnings of colonialism and the slave trade. What lies between these moments in history are illuminated in an informative and fascinating way, and I definitely feel more confident in approaching African history further after reading ' African Icons!'
The art is gorgeous and definitely took this book from great to astounding! Being able to connect the 'icons' to their recreated picture brought them to life!
Some other reviews focused only on the Egyptian chapters, so I was happily surprised to find that this little book spans farther than Ancient Egypt.
The book is written like a textbook but is broken up into short chapters that focus either on an idea or historical figure. I felt that the target audience was probably late elementary school to middle school, but the information was still new to me! The chapters' main ideas connect to create a narrative that spans the history from Ancient Egypt to the beginnings of colonialism and the slave trade. What lies between these moments in history are illuminated in an informative and fascinating way, and I definitely feel more confident in approaching African history further after reading ' African Icons!'
cassiesnextchapter's review
5.0
Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion, and for allowing me to join the blog tour.
I LOVE this book - filled with wonderful detail about 10 historical figures who have been ignored by the whitewashed history books we learn from today in the USA. I really hope that Baptiste makes more of these, since there are more African leaders of historical influence. It’s such a well-written book that fills in lots of knowledge gaps, covers different regions of Africa, and includes men and women! There are a few gorgeous illustrations as well. I’d say it’s geared more for an older elementary audience and up.
I LOVE this book - filled with wonderful detail about 10 historical figures who have been ignored by the whitewashed history books we learn from today in the USA. I really hope that Baptiste makes more of these, since there are more African leaders of historical influence. It’s such a well-written book that fills in lots of knowledge gaps, covers different regions of Africa, and includes men and women! There are a few gorgeous illustrations as well. I’d say it’s geared more for an older elementary audience and up.
ahpotts's review
4.0
Lots of interesting history here; I anticipate that my students will find this both accessible and revelatory. Would have benefitted from a map or two. My favourite? Mansa Musa. Amazing story.
bookfan1414's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
rosasparks's review
5.0
Beautiful, detailed images. A fulfilling and robust historically accurate timeline of great African nations.
5elementknitr's review
3.0
I thought this was going to be more of a graphic novel style book, but it's basically straight history book with some pictures.
That being said, I learned a LOT.
That being said, I learned a LOT.
michellest's review
2.0
I have mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed the ending section of the book the most, where the author talked about why this history has been hidden over many years. However, I had a hard time getting through this book because it was written like a textbook, in a sometimes dull manner. At the same time, since these are things that often aren't in textbooks, maybe it's a good thing that it's written this way! Either way, I learned a lot, and it's information that is good to bring into the spotlight. Plus, kids can learn about history they probably haven't learned before, which young history buffs would probably like a lot.
elizabethlk's review
5.0
African Icons is an excellent introduction to African history. Not only does it cover short biographies of ten different African figures from various parts of the continent and times throughout history (ordered chronologically), but it also features in-between chapters that provide a greater context in African history for understanding the figures it focuses on. It makes for interesting and informative reading that I personally enjoyed a lot. It may be a middle-grade book, but teens and adults should find themselves learning great introductory information too. Definitely recommended!