Bibliographical information:

Tadjo, Véronique. Talking Drums: A Selection of Poems from Africa South of the Sahara. 2000. New York and London: Bloomsbury, 2004.

Brief summary:

This anthology of poetry is introduced as "in fact a story, the story of Africa as told by some of its best poets" (5). Divided into seven sections ("Our Universe," "The Animal Kingdom," "Love and Celebrations," "People," "Death," "Pride and Defiance," and "The Changing Times"), it includes both modern poetry and traditional oral poetry. Poets represented include Francis Bebey, Bernard Dadié, Chinua Achebe, Hamidou Dia, Femi Ojo-Ade, May Opitz, and Mabel Segun.

Comments:

I don't pretend any expertise in African poetry, but this collection seems quite successful to me. Tadjo has chosen poems (or selections from poems) by a range of distinguished poets.  While some poems in the anthology are light and funny, others are serious, sad, and frightening, and are likely to provoke serious questions from readers. To help them begin to address those questions, Tadjo includes a glossary, a map of Africa, and a list of included poets identified by nationality.

Grade/Age level:

Some of the poems will be accessible to younger readers, but others are better suited to middle grades. (The School Library Journal review suggests grades 5 and up.)

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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