Every Leaf a Hallelujah

by Ben Okri, Diana Ejaita (Illustrator)

A fairytale made for our times, written to be read by adults and children, from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road.

Mangoshi lives with her parents in a village near the forest. When her mother becomes ill, Mangoshi knows only one thing can help her - a special flower that grows deep in the forest.

The little girl needs all her courage when she sets out alone to find and bring back the flower, and all her kindness to overpower the dangers she encounters on the quest.

Ben Okri brings the power of his mystic vision to a timely story that weaves together wonder, adventure and environmentalism.

Genres: Fantasy, Picture Books, Africa, Nature, Childrens, Fiction, Environment

112 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2022

About the author

Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.

He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).

His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.

In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).

A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.

In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.

Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Otone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little fable for young children, though perhaps a bit too simplistically explained re: the culling of trees.

[Lilly Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. On one hand, it was beautifully written and illustrated. The story was great, and there are some great quotes. I loved how it depicted trees as living beings. I also don't think it wrestled with how forests keep humans alive through their deaths and placed heavy blame on loggers and those who pay them. There's a bigger picture, and this book is uncharitable in it's black and white stance. I would have loved for the forest and the community to come into relationship, to communicate, and dream together for a solution.

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story that speaks to our deeply dependent connection with the trees of the world, accompanied by vibrant illustrations. Great read for old and young.

[Amy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's astonishing how such a small book can be so powerful and beautiful. The mixture of story and illustrations made a breathtaking combination.

[Katey Flowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty straight forward fable about taking care of the environment. Felt a little long for what it is. The illustrations are beautiful.

[Raghu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little tale (and illustrations) combining old and new wisdom about human interdependence with nature, using a child protagonist that rediscovers the language of trees and helps save a forest (and gets their help in saving her family and village).

The attempt is in line with the literary movement to give "voice and agency to nature" but the story, tropes, and resolution seem slightly worn (essentially, the "Chipko" movement with the press and politicians paying attention to a quaint tree-hugging protest).

A more impactful narrative might be to make trees/nature central characters that cleverly engineer their own emancipation without the need for a "human saviour" intervening on their behalf.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was catalogued as adult Fiction, so fair game to include, though it is written with a simplicity and illustrations that would seem to better fit in Children's Lit. Sometimes we need things to be that basic to get the point. Ben Okri is a master of words - none are wasted here. This is a nextgen cautionary tale akin to the Lorax - our treatment of the environment and trees specifically is our own undoing. Here a 7-year-old girl, Mangoshi enters the forest to search for a special flower that will heal her Mom and others in the village suffering from illness. She communes with the trees - they sense she has the heart and courage to champion them, and forms a friendship in particular with the Baobab (often thought of as The Tree of Life). "Patience is the love of life," the tree teaches her and it shows her empowers her to take a stand. By the end she learns its secret: "All trees radiate love, and every leaf is a hallelujah."

[Chelka Posladek · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Human beings came and cut me down...to sell me and make money."
"...I'm sorry this has been done to you."
"Don't be sorry. Do something."

I love this messaging so much, which is why I love middle grade vs YA or adult books. Middle grade is honest and real, but leaves you feeling hopeful. I find adult fiction so depressing that I'd rather give up on the world and hide. "Every Leaf a Hallelujah" is pretty simplistic, and I only wish we could save the world this easily. But its message is still real and important. If it gets kids--or adults, of course--to care and to try, then this book has done its job.

My only caveat is that the text was a little on the boring side. I mean, it was the right kind of basic language for a fable. But I was hoping for a more magical atmosphere. Still, I'd happily recommend it. And the illustrations were lovely.

[Kendi Freelain]

Every Leaf A Hallelujah by Ben Okri is a beautiful story of a little girl named Mangoshi who goes on an adventure to find a special herb to heal her sick mother. But, to find this special flower, only the special chosen one will be able to complete the task. As Mangoshi journeys through the forest, she learns of the beauty of nature, and that even in a little leaf, there is value. This story resonated with me because my mother was sick when I was a little girl and I always wished there was something I could have done to help her during that time. If I could, I would have foraged through the darkest, most dangerous forest to fund something to heal her. I appreciate stories that teach us to do whatever it takes to help the ones we love, and that teach us to value nature, even down to a blade of grass.

[Dale Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mangoshi, a seven year old girl, has to find a plant to save her mother's life. She goes into the forest where she talks to the trees who tell her that people are destroying the forests. The trees explain that people depend on the trees to live and they want to survive. Mangoshi stands and defends the trees against workers from a logging company. This was a sweet and simple book that is appealing to children and adults alike. Unfortunately, it takes a binary view that trees and environment and little children are good and logging companies are bad. It doesn't add to new understanding of the issue. The illustrations are well done and lovely. And it is a good addition to environmental literature.

[Arianna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute fable. Hopeful and optimistic and somewhat overly simplified, but definitely lovely.

I do have a quibble, and this feels ridiculous, but I kept thinking about it and it distracted me from the main message -- when Mangoshi goes off to her quest, her father sends her off with a bunch of stuff, including bread that her sick, bedridden mother made. Which is a lovely and thoughtful gesture, but, let the poor sick woman rest. Honestly she basically falls into a coma a couple of pages later, why is she still responsible for making food.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute children's story about the importance of protecting the forest. The illustrations by Diana Ejaita are gorgeous and do a fantastic job bringing this story to life.

For people who need analogies, consider this a very African version of The Lorax but this is way better (though there are no rhymes). If I had little ones of the right age in my life, I would definitely buy them this book.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a line in here that "Patience is the love of life" which really clashed in my brain because of another recent book quote that "patience is the mother of vergence" (which is such a cooler phrase). And they're both true and they could even both be applied here to this book although this story is more hopeful and less vicious.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

En helt vidunderlig barnebok som viste seg å være litt vanskelig å få sett i fysisk. Vi som klasse ble invitert til teater skrevet fra denne boken, så da fikk jo jeg veldig lyst til å ta for meg boken. Men fant den som lydbok på storytel innlest av forfatteren selv. En velbrukt time, for boken trigger å jobbe med noen holdninger mot taturen. Vil anbefale den vel så mye til voksne som baren.

[MandM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children can hear trees and see the importance of their life on this Earth. A beautiful fable and also a very true one that needs to be taken to heart by children and adults alike. The pictures are beautiful and creative as well.

[Roderick Vonhogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming tale about a girl who ventures into the forrest to find a magical healing plant, and discovers how interconnected we are with nature and how much our survival and that of the world in which we live depends on that bond.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Leaf a Hallelujah by Diana Ejaita, Ben Okri – I would classify this as a middle grades folk tale, but I highly recommend that you listen to the audiobook on this one. Having the author read it to me was a fantastic experience! Happy Reading!

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I put this one on hold mostly because I loved the title. While the art and intention is good, the story is flimsy and didactic. I guess it’s proof of Katherine Rundell’s claim that a good writer of books for adults does not necessarily make a good writer of children’s stories.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story about a young girl going in search of a special plant and learning that trees communicate with each other and with her. Explores the impact of human activities on the rainforest and nature in general and the role of advocates.

[JanieH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5
A slim volume with a big message that will resonate with young and old alike. Beautifully illustrated with prose that spans generations. A perfect read-aloud book.

[betta.read.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful story of the importance of trees and nature, what a delight this was.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! Breathtaking!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A handsomely illustrated fable with a strong, though simplistic, environmental message.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather heavy-handed lesson about deforestation. I liked the concept, but I didn't enjoy the writing style.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fable of a seven year old girl who must go alone to find a rare flower in order to heal her mother and save her village.

[Maria Hammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely children’s book with Okri’s magical touch. ✨

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous book is an adult fable addressing the environmental issues we are facing globally. The prose is poetic, and the illustrations are beautiful.

[Ibrahim]

graphics are impressive. The style of writing is simple and easy to follow, but the story seems like a tree hugger manifesto to me.

[Roberta L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful morning read and enjoyable illustrations.

[Lori Buzzetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written!