Kente for Jojo

In a familial tradition of selecting Kente for children, a young narrator and family travel to pick one for the protagonist's baby brother, Jojo. Along the way, Daddy entertains the family with the familiar story of how Kente began through the folklore of Ananse the spider. Mensah's poetic text imbues the older sibling's process of looking for Jojo's Kente with love for both Jojo and the tradition, as they first admire the Kente on the wall of a shop ("This is the home of Kente, where the first were made for kings") and then approach a weaver to create a new one: "something special. Something beautiful. Something...that sparkles and shines, just like Jojo." The narrator himself is inspired by the rainbow to try to weave Nyankonton, "the story of God's eyebrows." Holding up the finished work (including a mistake, which makes it "even more special"), the weaver says, "Nyankonton means he will be beautiful, unique, and have great luck." Mensah's vivid storytelling is as inviting as Zunon's colorful illustrations, which were made using acrylic and oil paint and cut-paper collage and intricately convey the rich texture of the cloth and the meticulous weaving process. Together, they have created a fascinating introduction to this reverent aspect of Ghanaian culture. Back matter provides additional information about Kente, including its history, colors, and patterns. Pauletta Brown BracySeptember/October 2025 p.48 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A Black child chooses a special cloth for a new baby brother. The day has arrived to select little Jojo's kente, a Ghanaian cloth known for its striking patterns. Kente has a rich cultural history; as Daddy says, it all began many years ago, when, according to lore, two hunters saw the spider Ananse spinning a beautiful web and asked him to teach them. Mummy, Daddy, baby Jojo, and the story's nameless young narrator enter a brick building filled with cloth and weavers hard at work at their looms, "moving their hands to an invisible beat." One of the weavers asks the protagonist what story the cloth should tell, and the child points to the rainbow peeking through the windows. "Ah, Nyankonton," the weaver says, "the story of God's eyebrows." Guided by the master weaver, the youngster gets to work on the loom: "We move…and sway, with hands and feet. Dancing." As they "weave to the beat," the child slips. Oh no! But the weaver is reassuring: "Kente is about love." Zunon's characteristic collage and mixed-media illustrations, radiant with bold color, practically leap from the page, conveying the richness of the fabrics. The layered images reflect the complexity of kente--textural, intricate, and deeply symbolic. Mensah's lyrical text, infused with onomatopoeia and cultural detail, captures the rhythm of weaving, creating a narrative as vibrant as the cloth itself. A gorgeous, reverent celebration of a cherished symbol of African tradition. (more information on kente and its patterns, examples of patterns)(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.