Todd, Traci N. That You Are Here Is No Small Thing. Vashti Harrison, Illus. Viking, 09/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-593-35302-8. GRADES Kindergarten–3. OUTSTANDING.
Three dark-skinned girls go on a dream journey to remember where their ancestors came from. Flying across the universe, they encounter their ancestors’ gods from Ghana, West Africa: Anansi (God of Earth), Orisha (God of the Sky), and Mami Wata (God of the Ocean). They meet the African angels that protected their ancestors in ancient Africa and explore their roots in Ghana, discovering how their ancestors counted the stars and learning about the tree of life in West Africa. They learn about their grandmother’s upbringing and her ambition and determination in teaching herself to read and to see how their grandfather cooked smothered chicken in the traditional African way. They witness their ancestors being captured and chained in West Africa and boarding the slave ship to colonial America. They also experience the traditional West African dance festival and learn how African Americans sacrificed their lives during the civil rights movement in modern America. The dream is a journey of remembrance, connecting the girls to their West African culture and identity. As this journey ends, the three dark-skinned girls land safely back in bed, where they sleep soundly. The vivid, realistic, and colorful artwork depicts the characters and captures the essence of the traditional West African, Ancient Africa, and Ghanian ways of life. This picture book is ideal for story time and Kwanzaa celebrations.
Eboni Weston—San José State University School of Information MLIS Candidate