3321 MON. NIGHT 25th AUTHOR

In The Small Small Night, Kofi can't sleep in his new home in the United States, So his older sister Abena soothes his fears about life in a different country by telling him two folktales from their native Ghana about the nature of wisdom and perseverance.

Jane Kurts uses stories she heard from a friend from Ghana, and weaves them into a lovely story about wisdom and perseverance. Kurtz also captures the way an age-old oral tradition emerges. A strong addition to any collection, this book is a must buy for communities with African immigrant families. Rachel Isadora's vibrant illustrations, drenched in color, capture the African settings, the folkloric animals, and the love between brother and sister to complete the enchantment. This book is a Contemporary Realistic Fiction and for ages 4 -8.

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country. Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time. By the time Jane came back to the United States for college, she felt there was no way to talk about her childhood home to people here. It took nearly twenty years to finally find a way - through her children's books.

Now she often speaks in schools and at conferences, sharing memories from her own childhood and bringing in things for the children to touch and taste and see and smell and hear from Ethiopia. "It's been a healing and inspiring experience," she says, "to reconnect with my childhood and also be able to help people know just a little of the beautiful country where I grew up." Jane Kurtz has written a number of books that are inspirational, motivating, and that causes a person to think about their own situations. One such book for example is Pulling The Lion's Tail which is inspired by a traditional Ethiopian tale. It is a book of patience, and learning to cope with the expectancies of life. Check out her website for more of her fantastic books, awards, biography, and more.
http://www.janekurtz.com/