African Proverbs for All Ages by Johnnetta Betsch Cole illustrated by Nelda LaTeef

I mentioned my book friend and I visited the shop Gertrude and Alice last week. We spied this beautiful book. I have previously talked about proverbs and in that post I shared the cover of this book.

This book would be a perfect addition to a Primary School or High School library. It is expensive at AUS$40 but I have found a school supplier with a much cheaper price. 

Here are a few of the African proverbs from this book that touched my heart.

• Don't tell your important secrets to a friend because a friend has other friends. 
• Good words are food. Bad words are poison.
• Laughter is a language everyone understands.
• It always seems impossible until it's done.
• A clear conscience makes a soft pillow.
• Once you have carried your own water you learn to value every drop.
• If you think you are too small to make a difference you haven't spent a night with a mosquito.

Click here to listen to (or read) a very extensive and detailed interview with the author and illustrator. Here is a quote from that interview:

So, the book’s premise is that each of the 16 double-page spreads includes a piece of your stunning artwork, Nelda, and then it features four different proverbs. Each of the sayings is connected to the artwork, somehow, but readers will get to guess which one best captures the essence of the picture. I think this concept is absolutely genius in that it sets readers up for a conversation and helps them take a deeper look at the meanings of each proverb. 

You can see nearly every page inside this book on the US publisher page (Macmillan). 

It has been said that a proverb is a short sentence based on long experience. Whether you are young or old, proverbs can open your mind to a whole new way of seeing the world. We underestimate children when we assume they are incapable of understanding metaphor and deeper meaning. There are multiple ways that children learn, but for each method by which they learn, they need their imagination engaged and their visual sensibilities ignited. And as adults, we underestimate ourselves when we allow our lives to be about practical matters only. Proverbs can stir our soul and spark our imagination.