Kenyan authors you should be reading to your kids

Does your memory of childhood reads consist mainly of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan, Cinderella and the Princess in the Castle? Then why don’t you switch things up for your children with some reads from the motherland? Here are just a few interesting reads by Kenyan authors you need to check out…(you’re welcome)!

ATTACK OF THE SHIDAS
Attack of the Shidas is based on a desert village that is invaded by aliens known as Shidas. The village’s survival is then thrust on three children, Tosha, Shana and Pato who discover they have superpowers and in order to defeat the enemy, they have no choice but unite.
The book, authored by Muthoni Muchemi, was commissioned by the Kenya Human Rights Commission following a report that showed children were engaging in dialogue revolving negative ethnicity, an issue that the Kenyan society continues to grapple with.
The book also offers a rich wide array of African proverbs and sayings, quotes from philosophers and scientists and has great questions at the end to help in memory. This book is rich whichever way you dice it!
MAGIC
Authored by 13-year-old Kenyan Joseph Bokea, Magic is an amazing fantasy adventure that explores teen angst, friendship and identity. Joe, the book’s main character, lives in a fantasy world full of wizards, green people and magic. Joe, however, faces a dilemma; he needs to choose a side, human or alien with high costs to pay on both ends. Together with his best friend and a mentor, Masterleaf, Joe picks a side…which one is it? Read it to find out more!
Spoiler alert! There’s an Ice Princess involved and she has an axe to grind!
REFILWE
Written by Zukiswa Wanner, a South African living in Kenya, Refilwe is a retake of the German tale of Rapunzel except in a South African setting. Tully, our heroine, is a dreadlocked beauty who is stuck in a cave on top of a mountain awaiting her prince, Tumi. This take on the classic tale will have the children chanting, “Refilwe, Refilwe let down your locks . . . So I can climb the scraggy rocks!”
The tale is enriched with beautiful illustrations by Tamsin Hinrichsen, and will keep all children entranced with Tully’s adventures. We love it already and we hope you will too!

IN THE LAND OF THE KITCHEN
In the Land of the Kitchen is a children’s tale suitable for those aged six to nine. Written by Oluoch Madiang’, it is a funny story based on animated kitchen utensils, which helps both kids and adults discuss and identify ways in which conflict begins, how it affects families and communities and how to deal with it. The story, developed with the help of child psychologists, is an award-winning book with interesting illustrations and discussion section and goes into our ‘must-have’ reads list!
Through the Stories For Life six-part series of stories, mothers can read to their children easily. Get the Geisha Stories For Life free by downloading the set of stories from your phone from the site www.geishastories.com or dialing *436*2#