Snow, scorpions, Dr. Seuss: What Kenyan kids talked about with top U.S. kids' authors
Author and illustrator Jerry Craft, who won a Newbery Medal for his graphic novel The New Kid, had never been to Africa. The New York City native had also never visited a school outside of the United States. So he had no clue what to expect from students when he arrived at Nyaani Primary School in the rural Kenyan village of Wamunyu in July.
"They were singing and dancing. And then we all stood up one by one and they gave us Swahili names," says Craft, who was dubbed "Nyeusi," which means "Black."
It was quite the introduction for Craft and the. "Part of my job is speaking about books all around the world," says Alexander, whose enthusiasm for his mission has taken him to five continents. That includes 11 visits to Ghana, where he founded a literacy organization and created a library. So of course he said yes when Kenya Connect, a nonprofit that aims to empower students and teachers in rural Kenya, invited him to Wamunyu last year.
