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Esi the Brave (Who Was Not Afraid of Anything)

Author Bernard Mensah

Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

Hardcover

$18.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Dial Books

8.88"W x 11.25"H x 0.33"D (22.6 x 28.6 x 0.8 cm) | 14 oz (408 g) | 24 per carton

On sale Sep 10, 2024 | 32 Pages | 9780593406410

Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3

Reading Level: Lexile AD610L | Fountas & Pinnell M

Sales rights: World

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Children's Books > Children's Picture Books

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A bold and bright picture book about being brave when you're scared in a new, overwhelming environment

Esi is a brave Ghanaian girl who is not afraid of anything. Monsters and ghosts should be scared of her!

When she sets off for the annual Kakamotobi Festival with her parents, she’s confident she’ll be fine. Her mother warns that there’s going to be loud music and scary masks and a very big crowd, but Esi’s unconcerned. She's not afraid of anything.

But when they get to the festival and her parents suddenly disappear in a crowd of terrifying monster masks, Esi realizes that to save her parents, she’ll have to be the bravest she’s ever been. With detail-packed illustrations and a text begging to be read aloud, this is the perfect story about finding your inner strength to be brave.

★ "[A] dazzling, triumphant picture book . . . Mensah's text zigs and zags across the pages . . . Figueroa's watercolor and digital illustrations move with the text, winding across double-page spreads, giving the art a sense of tumbling movement. The monsters are wildly inventive, and Figueroa's palette is clearly inspired by Mensah's description of the 'very colorful clothes' worn to the festival. This cinematic picture book about conquering fear is sure to be a favorite read aloud." —Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Sensate rhymes by Mensah, making his children’s debut, offer musicality, while brightly patterned illustrations from Figueroa express big emotions in this tale of courage and culture." —Publishers Weekly

"The Kakamotobi Festival is brought to life by gorgeously textured digital illustrations, exploding with patterns and vibrant, jewel-toned hues. Words swoop across pages, following both Esi’s emotions and theshapes of the images themselves, and Figueroa’s deft use of space . . . Though Esi is scared, the drawings are never scary and mix delightfully with the story’s light use of rhyme and alliteration, making for a joyful readaloud with lots of room for stomping, dancing, and monster-face-making." —BCCB

"[R]ich with vocabulary that evokes the symphony of festival sounds. Onomatopoeic and rhyming words appear in all caps . . . Esi has natural hair and an expressive face . . . Artwork is colorful and chaotic, but clear, fun, and enjoyable as befitting a bustling street festival." —School Library Journal

Bernard Mensah works in software engineering by day and writes stories by night. He is the author of titles like Esi the Brave and Yawa the Adventurer. He is passionate about Black and African representation in publishing and founded HabermanNerds to nurture and promote African storytelling. He grew up in Ghana, climbing trees, playing soccer, and dreaming up stories at the library. Bernard now lives in the United Kingdom with his two rambunctious boys. View titles by Bernard Mensah

Raissa Figueroa View titles by Raissa Figueroa

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