Where Are You Going, Manyoni?

by Catherine Stock

Book Overview

Manyoni is on her way to school; she gets up at dawn to walk two hours across the plain, along the Limpopo riverbed....As seen in Stock's beautifully rendered impressionistic watercolors...wild animals and birds are on almost every spread--more than 30 in all....A lovely book that draws the reader right in.--Kirkus Reviews. Pronouncing glossary.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688103529
• ISBN13: 9780688103521
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.6" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Beautiful

Can I give this more than 5 stars? My kids love this book (and so do I). When we read it, they take turns on alternate pages "finding" Manyoni (almost like a "where's waldo" thing). The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. The story is simple and sweet. And did I mention the illustrations? You'll love it as much as the kids will!

Great book!

My girls (aged 7 and 2) both loved this book. We treated it as a mystery--after each page asking "where is Manyoni going?" It really kept the girls' attention while we looked at the beautiful illustrations and tried to guess her destination. I agree with the other reviewer's comparison to "Where's Waldo?". In the illustrations, it gets progressively more difficult to spot Manyoni as she gets smaller and smaller in relation to the surrounding landscape. My 2-year-old often could spot Manyoni much more quickly than I could. This book is a simple but entertaining story, beautifully illustrated and a nice introduction to southern African ecology and culture. Highly recommended, especially for pre-school children and those with an interest in Africa!

One of the all-time best...

This is one of my favorite books for young children. It raises the "Waldo" and "I Spy" concept into the realm of Art, while telling a lovely story about an African girl and her way of life. It encompasses a lot of real-world wildlife education, a little mystery (Where is Manyoni going?), and gentle multicultural comparisons which open up great conversations during and after reading. One of my children loved this book when she was 2, another is still reading it at 5, and my 9 year old used it recently to research what a wildebeest looks like. It is informative without being "teachy", and the pronunciation guide at the back makes it accessible for reading-aloud parents! Stock's illustrations are beautiful, and her gentle telling of a simple but profound story is perfect. I'll be treasuring this book for years, and giving it as a gift to little friends as long as I can!