Book Description
for The Magic Doll by Adrienne Yabouza and Élodie Nouhen
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
Told through young Adjoa's voice, this heartfelt tale of love and faith centers upon Adjoa's special birth. Adjoa details how her parents, Ama and Kwame sought the assistance of an Akua'ba fertility and protection doll, nicknamed “Dolly.” Ama treated “Dolly” like her own child, carrying it on her back to the market, bathing and adorning it with jewelry, and sharing her wishes for a child. Much to everyone's delight, “what was meant to happen actually happened” (unpaged), and more than once! Information about the Akua'ba dolls and the book creators' connections to these dolls offer important cultural context and history.
Author is from the Central African Republic and is of Yakoma heritage. Illustrator lives in France.
Central African Republic. Originally published in French as Une Poupée pour Maman by L'Élan Vert in 2019. English translation by Paul Kelly published in the United States by Prestel Verlag/ Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH in 2020.
© USBBY, 2022. Used with permission.