ALA Booklist (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1993)

The alphabet is used as an organizational device for this collection of color photographs, taken in Nigeria, that capture people, customs, and everyday objects through Onyefulu's loving eyes. The photographs are beautifully crafted and reproduced, and they are linked by text that not only describes the picture but also reveals something important about the African way of life. The illustration accompanying H (H is for mud Houses, just right for a hot climate) pictures a mud hut with a thatched roof and a roaming chicken; the one accompanying V (V is for village, where many people live together, sharing the same customs and beliefs) shows several of the same type of hut grouped together. Born and raised in Nigeria, Onyefulu brings a personable, friendly touch to both photos and text. Although her book may not be the perfect tool for teaching the alphabet, it is a fine way to begin to teach about Africa. Z is the rough Zigzag lane leading to my village. And that's the end. (Reviewed Aug. 1993)

Horn Book

Nigerian native Onyefulu uses full-color photographs and brief text to introduce the reader to aspects of culture, religion, custom, and daily life in Nigeria and the African continent, carefully qualifying her statements to allow for the many differences between African peoples. The photographs are clear and handsome; the volume is useful, attractive, and authentic.

Kirkus Reviews

A London-based photographer offers images of traditional life and culture in her Nigerian homeland. Sharp, sun-drenched photos filled with smiles and bright colors create an idealized impression of village life, with little evidence of poverty and only occasional, inadvertent, signs of modern influences—a child wearing a T-shirt, or oil lamps made from recycled milk tins. In an introduction and many of the brief captions, the author suggests that the drums, beads, mud huts, family structures, and other details she captures on film represent Africa in microcosm, a risky sort of reductionism. The diversity—and unities—of African culture are evoked more effectively for younger readers by Musgrove's Ashanti to Zulu (1976); the photos in Chiasson's African Journey (1987) provide a more multifaceted view of village life. Visually appealing, but simplistic. (Picture book. 5-8)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Beautifully composed"""" color photographs provide """"an incisive, sophisticated view of Nigeria's rich heritage,"""" said PW. Ages 3-8. (July)