Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
Categories
Children’s picture books

ESI THE BRAVE

Bernard Mensah Raissa Figueroa

(Who Was Not Afraid of Anything)

A bold and bright picture book about being brave when you're scared in a new, overwhelming environment.

Esi is a brave Ghanaian girl who is not afraid of anything. Monsters and ghosts should be scared of her! When she sets off for the annual Kakamotobi Festival with her parents, she's confident she'll be fine. Her mother warns that there's going to be loud music and scary masks and a very big crowd, but Esi's unconcerned. She's not afraid of anything. But when they get to the festival and her parents suddenly disappear in a crowd of terrifying monster masks, Esi realizes that to save her parents, she'll have to be the bravest she's ever been. With detail-packed illustrations and a text begging to be read aloud, this is the perfect story about finding your inner strength to be brave. Bernard K. Mensah is a children's book author by night and a software engineering manager by day. He also helped co-found #BlackCreatorsInKidlit, to increase Black representation in publishing, and HabermanNerds, to nurture and promote African literature and storytelling. He is Ghanaian and lives in the UK with his two rambunctious boys. Raissa Figueroa is the illustrator of several picture books, including Coretta Scott King Honor Award recipient We Wait for the Sun by Katie McCabe & Dovey Roundtree, and the Oona picture book series by Kelly DiPucchio. She lives outside of San Diego.

Available products
Book Published 2024-09-10 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Comments

Esi conjures up visions that are simultaneously frightful, dynamic, and all-around enchantinga wonderful reflection of how very young children often see the world. Mensah's onomatopoeia-laced narrative is a delight, while Figueroa relies on full-page spreads festooned with arresting West Africaninspired patterns, as well as the clever use of negative space, dramatic angles, and vignettes. A monstrously good time.

The Kakamotobi Festival is brought to life by gorgeously textured digital illustrations, exploding with patterns and vibrant, jewel-toned hues. Words swoop across pages, following both Esi's emotions and the shapes of the images themselves, and Figueroa's deft use of space . . . Though Esi is scared, the drawings are never scary and mix delightfully with the story's light use of rhyme and alliteration, making for a joyful readaloud with lots of room for stomping, dancing, and monster-face-making.

[R]ich with vocabulary that evokes the symphony of festival sounds. Onomatopoeic and rhyming words appear in all caps . . . Esi has natural hair and an expressive face . . . Artwork is colorful and chaotic, but clear, fun, and enjoyable as befitting a bustling street festival.

Sensate rhymes by Mensah, making his children's debut, offer musicality, while brightly patterned illustrations from Figueroa express big emotions in this tale of courage and culture.

[A] dazzling, triumphant picture book . . . Mensah's text zigs and zags across the pages . . . Figueroa's watercolor and digital illustrations move with the text, winding across double-page spreads, giving the art a sense of tumbling movement. The monsters are wildly inventive, and Figueroa's palette is clearly inspired by Mensah's description of the 'very colorful clothes' worn to the festival. This cinematic picture book about conquering fear is sure to be a favorite read aloud.