African Children’s Book Authors You Should Know

There is no better time to consume African literature and books than the present. Over the recent years, we have seen so many incredible African authors emerge and publish great works. It is so great to see Africans tell their own stories.

We wanted to highlight incredible independent African authors to read and support. While at it, please also check out our other posts on books written by African Authors, African children's books with life lessons, Bilingual African children's books, and storybooks based on African culture.

1. Aya A. Khalil 

Aya Khalil is an Egyptian American Ghanian with one children's book under her belt. Khalil has a master's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in communications and English. She was a journalist for several years when she discovered her passion for writing children's books. Her debut children's book was published in 2020. It won several awards and honours. Khalil has more books on the way, and we can't wait to see what she is up to!

Aya Khalil and her debut children's book, "The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant story".

2. Bernard Mensah

Bernard is a Ghanian author with two self-published titles under his belt. His stories are meant to introduce and highlight to children the African experience. Through his stories, children can learn about different cultures which they may not experience daily. He currently has a Kickstarter campaign for his comic, Yawa The Adventurer Issue. It is a fun comic that will combine fact, fiction, history, culture, modern living from an African perspective. Kindly support it here. 

Bernard Mensah and one of his children's book, "Rambunctious Kwame And the Case of The Missing Birthday Banku".

3. Christine Mapondera

Christine was inspired to start her author journey by her daughter. Mapondera wanted to write stories that represented her and celebrated her culture. Christine wrote her stories initially in her native language Shona. She currently has her publishing press that celebrates the diversity of Africa and the African diaspora.

Christine Mapondera and her debut book, "Makanaka's World: Adventure in Morocco". 

4. Crystal Boateng

Crystal was born and raised in Kumasi, Ghana. She moved to the United States at an early age with her family. Boateng published her first children's book, Afia the Ashanti Princess, to develop an interest in young readers in learning about African culture and history. She has since gone on to publish two other children's books.

Crystal Boateng and her second book, "Afia the Brave Swimmer: Seaside Adventures in Ghana".  

5. Dora Owusu

Dora was born in Ghana but currently lives in the United States. Owusu enjoys reading about both African and African-American history. Her interest in black history led her to write beautiful stories about the African continent. She hopes that her stories will connect people of African descent to Africa. 

Dora Owusu and her debut novel, "The Majestic African Hair Show". 

6. Evelyn Olutola Logan

Evelyn is a Nigerian-American author who loves capturing the imagination and simplicities of life in her work. Her books are full of joy, suspense, and knowledge. Her Debut book, On the Streets of Ondo, is an African folktale inspired book. It will be released summer of 2022. 

Evelyn Logan and her upcoming book, "On the Streets of Ondo". 

7. Kamapala Chukwuka

Kamapala writes children's books that are centred around black characters. When Kamapala had her boys, she wanted them to develop a love for reading at a young age. She visited her local bookstores and realized that there was little representation in children's books. That is when she decided to write her books. Through her books, Kamapala hopes that children from all over have a variety of books available to them.

Kamapala Chukwuka and one of her children's book, "Ama's Gift". 

8. Kunda Kids

Kunda Kids is a black-owned publishing media production whose focus is teaching kids about African history and culture. Oladele and Louisa Olafuyi, a married couple, started Kunda kids in 2020. They were looking for books that will teach their son about ancient African history and culture and had difficulty finding them. They created Kunda kids and currently have over 20 writers, illustrators, animators, and so many more. 

Oladele and Louisa Olafuyi pictured above and a collection of books published under Kunda Kids.

9. LM Daini

Daini has published two children's books. Daini aims to share wholesome traditional African stories to help kids discover and learn about the continent. In addition to her children's books, Daini also has a podcast, a magazine, and diverse literacy resources that teach about the African continent.

LM Daini and her latest book, "Keke and the cake thief". 

10. Onaolapo Dagunduro

Onalapo is an author and poet born in Lagos, Nigeria. Ever since she was a young child, she spent her time coming up with new stories that she shared with her siblings and friends. She now writes stories filled with humor and morals for kids.

Onaolapo Dagunduro and her debut book, "My Big Welcome". 

11. Ornella Mogounn

Ornella has always had a passion for storytelling. She firmly believes that storytelling will change the world and redefine the norms of society. As a child, Ornella wrote down short stories in her notebooks. She also drew characters in her notebooks. Her debut children's book, "Bedtime Tales of African Queens who slayed history" will be her first-ever published book. Please support her Kickstarter campaign here. 

Ornella Mogounn and her upcoming book, "Bedtime Tales of African Queens who slayed history".

12. Tamkara Adun

Tamkara is passionate about telling African stories from an African perspective. She also has a strong passion for decolonizing African history taught in schools and educational institutions. Lastly, Adun is an advocate for preserving African indigenous mother tongues. 

Tamkara Adun and her children's book, "Osasu and the Great Wall of the Benin Empire". 

13. Yeve Sibanda

Yeve was born in Zimbabwe and currently lives in the United States. Yeve is a native speaker of Shona, while her husband speaks both Shona and Ndebele. When she got her daughter, Yeve looked for quality books that will teach her about her roots and heritage. She was unable to find one. Yeve decided to write one on her own that will resonate with children of African descent. 

Yeve Sibanda and her children's book, "My First Book of Shona and Ndebele Words". 

Who are some African authors you would add on to our list? Please let us know in the comments!