Title: What Happened on Thursday?
Author: Ayo Oyeku
Major Themes: Nigeria, War, Refugees, Africa
Synopsis: When civil war broke out in Nigeria, a family’s life is changed forever.
Anyone who reads very many of my posts here knows about my love for picture books that teach children about their world. I haven’t come across very many about war, but that’s exactly what What Happened on Thursday? is about. I actually didn’t realize it was a picture book when I signed up for it; had I noticed that, I likely wouldn’t have requested it.
Publisher’s description:
The Nigerian Civil War began and ended on a Thursday, and for the family in this book, their lives are forever changed by that day.
Told from a child’s perspective, this story follows one family on their journey as they lose their home, traverse a country under the siege of war, and finally settle in a camp for displaced persons. But through it all, the love of this child’s family shines bright, helping to illuminate even the darkest paths. With poetic text by Nigerian author Ayo Oyeku and sensitive portraits by illustrator Lydia Mba, this story reveals the deep costs of war on our future generations and begs for a more peaceful world.
My thoughts:
I ended up being quite impressed with What Happened on Thursday? Though it is about a war, there is no mention of people being hurt or killed, and no pictures that show blood. There are several pages with pictures of houses burning and smoke, and the text describes that, as well as talking about hunger and clothing being ragged as a result of running from the war, but that is the most that it shows. The main theme of the book is how the family stayed together and survived. There is a note at the end about this war, which began in 1967 and ended in 1970. This book is a good way for children to learn about another part of the world and what happened there over 50 years ago.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Fires and hunger as a result of the war.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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