Atinuke is a Nigerian-born author of children's books and an
oral storyteller of traditional African folktales.
Personal life and education
Atinuke was born in
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
and grew up in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
with her parents and three siblings.
Her father was a Nigerian university lecturer and her mother was an English editor.
Atinuke is of
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
ancestry through her father.
Atinuke chose to attend a boarding school in England from ages ten to thirteen.
Her parents and three siblings then moved to England, and Atinuke began attending public school.
in university, Atinuke studied English and Commonwealth Literatures.
She has two sons and currently lives in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
Career
Atinuke's first story was told to an audience in England in 1990, when the booked performer didn't show. She embarked on a creative journey and professional career of collecting stories from Africa and the African diaspora and telling them to local and international audiences, at festivals and schools. When she took a break from travelling in 2005 due to illness, she began writing her first book, about fictional character Anna Hibiscus, a young girl living in "Amazing Africa". Atinuke is the author of over 20 children's books based on her life in Nigeria and the traditional stories. Most recently she published a non-fiction children's book about the 55 countries of Africa. Her book "Baby Goes To Market" is published in the US and UK as well as in French and Japanese.
Awards and honours
The African American Literature Book Club named Atinuke in their list of the "Top 100 Bestselling Authors" in the 60th place.
In 2011, ''Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus!'' was named one of the best children's books of the year by ''
The Horn Book Magazine
''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...
''.
In 2015, ''Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus'' was named one of the best children's and young adult books of the year by ''
Shelf Awareness
Shelf Awareness is an American publishing company that produces two electronic publications/newsletters focused on bookselling, books and book reviews.
Overview
With offices in Seattle, Washington, and Montclair, New Jersey, ''Shelf Awareness' ...
''.
In 2017, ''You’re Amazing, Anna Hibiscus!'' was included on ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' "Best Books for Middle Graders of 2017" list.
In 2018, ''Baby Goes to Market'' was included on the Children's Africana Book Awards' "Best Books for Young Children" list.
In 2021, ''Too Small Tola'' was named one of the best children's books of the year by ''The Horn Book Magazine'', ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' and ''Shelf Awareness''
In 2022, ''Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls'' was named one of the best children's books of the year by ''The Horn Book Magazine''.
Publications
Fiction
Anna Hibiscus series
The Anna Hibiscus series is illustrated by
Lauren Tobia
# ''Anna Hibiscus'' (2010)
# ''Hooray for Anna Hibiscus!'' (2010)
# ''Anna Hibiscus' Song'' (2011)
# ''Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!'' (2011)
# ''Welcome Home, Anna Hibiscus!'' (2012)
# ''Go Well, Anna Hibiscus!'' (2014)
# ''Double Trouble For Anna Hibiscus!'' (2015)
# ''Love from Anna Hibiscus!'' (2015)
# ''You're Amazing, Anna Hibiscus!'' (2016)
# ''Merry Christmas, Anna Hibiscus!'' (expected 2023)
Baby series
The Baby series is illustrated by
Angela Brooksbank.
# ''Baby Goes to Market'', (2017)
# ''B Is for Baby'' (2019)
# ''Baby, Sleepy Baby'' (2021)
The No. 1 Car Spotter series
The No. 1 Car Spotter series is illustrated by
Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter'' (2011)
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird'' (2011)
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Car Thieves'' (2012)
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter Goes to School'' (2014)
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Broken Road'' (2015)
# ''The No. 1 Car Spotter Fights the Factory'' (2016)
Too Small Tola series
The Too Small Tola series is illustrated by
Onyinye Iwu.
# ''Too Small Tola'' (2020)
# ''Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls'' (2021)
# ''Too Small Tola Gets Tough'' (2023)
Standalone books
*''Catch That Chicken!'', illustrated by
Angela Brooksbank (2020)
* ''Hugo'', illustrated by
Birgitta Sif (2020)
* ''Brilliant Black British History'' (expected 2023)
Non-Fiction
* ''Africa Amazing Africa: Country by Country'', illustrated by
Mouni Feddag (2019)
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website 21st-century women writers
21st-century Nigerian writers
Writers from Ibadan
Date of birth missing (living people)