Ayo’s Adventure: Across The African Diaspora From Afro To Zulu by Ain Heath Drew & Erin Robinson

Happy October, readers! With Black History Month starting in the UK, what better time to explore a book on Africa and its diaspora?

Ayo is a young boy in America whose parents are doing a wonderful job teaching him about his heritage. While he’s proud to be a Black American with a rich generational history in the United States, he’s also tapped into the positive influences of Africa and its impact worldwide. As he’s falling asleep one night, his drowsy brain takes him on an A to Z journey through some of the major historical highlights and cultural contributions of the African diaspora worldwide.

A begins with Afro, before bouncing to Braids, hair issues that, while nominally linked to the USA in the book, are a concern for every Black person who’s ever been made to feel less than respectable for having natural hair. The book then swings down to Trinidad & Tobago to celebrate Calypso music before heading to Mali to explore Dogon culture, and from then on to the rest of the world.

Well, not the entire rest of the world: there’s precious little in Europe or Asia. While the African diaspora in Asia only gained a significant toehold in the 21st century, it does seem a little odd from a truly global perspective that no mention of their impact in Europe is made here. But that’s fine: this is a picture book from the United States, after all, and it covers so much elsewhere, especially on under-reported places in South America!

Further supplementing the body of this picture book is the excellent back matter which provides more in-depth information on each topic touched on in the story. While the language and tone are perfect for kids, the entire book is just packed with information for every reader (and is super making me crave fufu with light soup right now!)

Erin Robinson’s illustrations are just fantastic throughout. She did a ton of research for this book, as she mentions in her note at the end, and it absolutely shows in the vibrant, detailed work that richly rewards the reader’s scrutiny. The cleverness of the spreads is of especial note, as where the table in Revolution merges with the table in Soul Food on the facing page. I genuinely can’t overemphasize the amount of intelligence and skill put into the art of this book. Each page is beautiful and detailed and perfectly complements the text, really bringing the diversity and wealth of African and African diaspora history and culture to life.

While ostensibly a children’s book, this is a really great way for readers of all ages to learn a little (or perhaps a lot, depending on where you’re starting from) more about Black culture worldwide. Recommended.

Ayo’s Adventure: Across The African Diaspora From Afro To Zulu by Ain Heath Drew & Erin Robinson was published September 17 2024 by Barefoot Books and is available from all good booksellers, including