Review: Maisie's Scrapbook by Samuel Narh, illustrated by Jo Loring-Fisher

Maisie wants to ride a bull to chase off Ananse spider, just like in Dada's embellished bedtime stories. Mama says no but as spring turns to winter, will Maisie get the chance to be the heroine in Dada’s bespoke African tale? 

Ghanaian author Samuel Narh's award-winning picture book is a tender, magical story for children in the EYFS. Full of rich vocabulary, subtle repetition, and wonderfully poetic imagery, it reads like a purposeful blend of Ghanaian and English speech patterns, celebrating, predominantly, the African oral storytelling tradition. 

Narh understands how young children think: Maisie's mind flits around in a slightly disjointed fashion just as a child's would. However, the scrapbook backdrop, season changes and the recurring Ananse theme firmly connect what initially seem like loose thoughts into a poetic narrative guaranteed to capture imaginations.  

Maisie dances between her sky-high dreams and reality. In the sky, she sees ancient worlds, heroes and villains, flying bulls, and star constellations shaped like turtles. On earth, she frolics with autumnal leaves, plays hide-and-seek, and enjoys summer days at the beach. This binary-world device works well to highlight the breadth of Maisie's dual-heritage cultural experiences. 

It's wonderful to read another text that recognises culturally diverse families, as they are desperately underrepresented in print. Mixed-heritage children aren't often sure where they fit in but when my English-Jamaican son saw the cover of this book, he smiled broadly and said: 'She's mixed like me!' He felt an instant connection and a deeper sense of his place in the world which is largely credit to Jo Loring-Fisher's delicately drawn illustrations. This book sensitively explores mixed-raced identity in a positive way, though I do wonder whether the final line about Maisie being 'pure as winter's snow' could have done with a rethink. 

Through shared reading, children will learn about Maisie's parents’ differing cultures: Mama speaks English, cooks risotto, and plays the viola while Dada speaks Ghanaian, makes jollof rice, and plays the marimba. Other important Ghanaian details, such as Dad's kente cloth and adrinka symbols, are included (see notes). Regardless of cultural differences, their love for Maisie is shown in exactly the same way, which not only teaches children to respect distinct cultures but also that love universally overrides any differences (PSD/UW). 

Lots of talk and play could arise from reading this beautiful story. The text and illustrations promote learning about the changes in nature through the seasons. Children might also enjoy recalling traditional stories/events from home or they could make little scrapbooks of their own memories using photos or drawings. It may be beneficial for them to experience Ghanaian culture firsthand, for example, tasting mild jollof rice and enjoying a visit from a Ghanaian parent/carer who could tell folktales, play the marimba or show them kente cloth (UW). (Alternatively, subscribe to Tata Storytime as they offer similar suitable content.) Small-world play could be facilitated with toy spiders, cows/bulls, trees, and multicultural small-world characters (EAD/UW). 

There are no memories as powerful as those from childhood and this heartfelt story encapsulates perfectly the awe and wonder of those early years. 

Notes for teachers and parents

Ananse – a famous folklore character originating from West Africa. Popular in many African and Caribbean countries, the character is also known as Anancy, (Brer) Anansi, Aunt Nancy, Hapanzi or Nanzi depending on the region. He is often depicted as a spider but can take on different forms. In Ghanaian folklore, Ananse is clever and likes to trick people. Samuel Narh fabricated the Ananse story in Maisie's Scrapbook using elements from real African folktales.

Aamo – Ghanaian word for tomato 

Adrinka symbols – found on walls, fabrics, wooden sculptures and pottery, adrinka symbols represent proverbs/sayings, historical events, and behaviours. There are two adinkra symbols in Maisie's Scrapbook. The Sankofa (a wooden bird with a backward-turned head which reminds Ghanaians to recall previously acquired knowledge and use it to make progress in the present). The Gya, depicted in the wall painting behind Dada, means 'except for God', reflecting the significance of religion in Ghanaian life.

Kente cloth – a Ghanaian textile made from woven pieces of silk and cotton. Traditionally worn on special occasions although it's increasingly used as a daily item. It's believed the original cloth was inspired by the web of a spider. Each colour on kente cloth has meaning. 

Marimba – a large wooden percussion instrument commonly played throughout West Africa. 

Jollof rice – a popular West African tomato-based rice dish.  

Guide for teachers and parents

Genre	Narrative: stories with familiar setting; stories from other cultures
Child-led interests (EYFS)	my family; role play, small world play, nature, writing, countries of the world
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	EYFS
Curriculum links/topics (EYFS/NC)	EYFS: CAL UW EAD
Suitability	whole-class reading, class/school library, home library
General features	poetic narrative; simple sentences including rich vocabulary; simile and metaphor; some repetition; present tense; third-person narration; some Ghanaian words (kente, aamo)

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.