She also caught out Chief Obir, who was my least favourite character because he tried to get Ada and Nosa sacrificed to save his throne. The historical Benin Kingdom is now an option for UK primary teachers at KS2, and is a great option for those who are keen to diversify their curriculum. This book includes a factual section at the end, to help readers widen their knowledge of the Kingdom of Benin and West African culture and traditions and linked resources and activity sheets are available to download for free from the publisher, Dinosaur Books Ltd: https://readingagency. The book enables you to live the history of a heritage that is not widely covered by the curriculum, but if it was used to support the teaching of ancient civilisations would help broaden and diversify the knowledge about West African culture and traditions that children have in Upper Key Stage 2. Ada has lived close to the great rainforest for her whole life, helping her beloved Papa Eze to heal fellow villagers when they fall sick.

Candy Gourlay introduces Wild Song, her companion novel to Bone Talk, in which Luki and Samkad leave their home in the Philippines for America. The thing that most stood out for me was the fact that the main character was a girl and was not a tomboy. When reading this book, you become completely absorbed into the culture of the West African people … because the story is rich and gripping.My least favourite character in this book is Chief Iwe because he treats people horribly and is very ungrateful and rude to everyone he comes across.

The characters are strong and it’s good to see the lead character as a strong independent brave black woman able to defend herself, her family and her beliefs. The story is rich in historical detail and the cultural traditions of West Africa and as accurate historical fiction it is also perfect for celebrating Black history.The plot was exciting because there were lots of cliffhangers and it was light-hearted and serious at different times. The book includes a factual section at the end, to help readers widen their knowledge of the Kingdom of Benin and West African culture and traditions. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Accompanied by her true friend Mbe, Ada follows the instructions given to her by Papa Eze and travels far and wide to uncover the truth, which eventually leads her deep within the rainforest where her past will be discovered.

Teachers notes, linked to the text, are also available to download for free from the publishers, Dinosaur Books Ltd. Having lived and worked in the educational sector of Benin City for several years, I appreciated discovering this wonderful, adventuresome story that can be enjoyed by boys and girls of all ages. My favourite character is Papaeze because he can heal the sick like Jesus but the worst character is chief Ewe because he treats people very terribly. Children of the Benin Kingdom is fast paced adventure story, set in one of Africa’s most fascinating civilisations, the Edo Kingdom of Benin. But when Papa Eze himself becomes ill, he knows he must tell Ada the truth about her real identity – something he has kept hidden to protect his daughter from danger.Ada must now travel deep into the forest and discover the ancient Edo kingdom of Benin, connect with her past and to use everything within her power to heal the terrible divisions that are tearing the kingdom apart. When reading this book, you become completely absorbed into the culture of the West African people . This is a brilliant story for engaging children (an adults) in learning about life in the Benin Kingdom. It would also be an excellent class read because the story is rich and gripping and is everything you need to capture the essence of story time.