This is a traditional story of how oral tradition gets passed down from generation to generation. ( )

After moving to America from Ghana, Abena and Kofi comfort one another in the middle of the night. Abena tells stories from their home to help the worries of her younger brother. In the end, it is the wisdom of this small boy that helps ease her own worries of going to school in a new place. ( )

A wonderful amalgamation of adapting to newness while embracing the past that is familiar. This story of two siblings from Ghana falling asleep in their new home, America, is endearing but real. The older sibling comforts the younger with stories from their first home. But in the end the younger comforts the older with the wisdom she's just shared in some bedtime stories. ( )

This book entails the story of a brother and sister who move to America from Ghana. The older sister, Abena, comforts her younger brother, Kofi, after he dives into bed with her, because he was afraid to sleep alone. As Kofi begins to talk to Abena, he starts to explain how worried he is that he will forget about the rest of his family back in Ghana. This leads Abena to narrating a story to Kofi as he lays in bed with his eyes shut, picturing it all which I the end comforts him. The pictures in this book helps illustrate the imagination Kofi creates with the story being told from his sister. The author of this book is Jane Kurtz and the illustrator is Rachel Isadora. Kurtz, was raised in Ethiopia and currently lives in the United States where she continues to write books for children. Isadora, was born in raised in New York and studied at the school of American Ballet up until she had an injury which led her to pursue a career in illustration.

In the Small, Small Night

This book is fabulous. Two small children leave their native home of Ghana and move to America. Kofi is the youngest child and he, like so many kids, are afraid to sleep in their own bed. Kofi’s monsters name is mampan and so his sister Abena decides to tell him stories passed down to her from generations. Abena’s stories teach young kofi life lessons that are beneficial for any culture. This story could be used for students to learn how to treat a new student that enters the class, emphasizing the emotions and sometimes traumatic feelings.

Extension:
Students could write a bedtime story that they could read to the class.

Students could write about all the scary creatures and draw them, but it has to have a happy ending.