In the Small, Small Night: A Tender Story About African Siblings Finding Home in America for Kids

by Jane Kurtz, Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)

In the middle of the night the world can seem huge andfrightening, especially when you've just moved far from home. On Abena and Kofi's first night in America, it is late and it is dark and they are up worrying. What if a giant lizard or a slender-snouted crocodile crawled into their suitcases? What if the people in their new school laugh at them? What if they forget Grandmother and their cousins, now that they are an ocean away?

But Abena knows a secret to help them. It is a secret that can make the world and the night seem small again. She reaches for her new flashlight and turns it on. She says to her little brother, Kofi, "Pretend this is the moon. Close your eyes." And then she begins ...

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Childrens, Cultural, Juvenile, Ghana

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.


That love of nature has recently inspired her to write books about loving the Earth--such as WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? and PLANET JUPITER.

Jane has published more than 40 books, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, novels for young readers, and ready-to-reads. Some are based on her childhood in Ethiopia. Some draw on her own children, such as ANNA WAS HERE, a novel for young readers that asks life's big questions about pain and disaster--and offers a few puny answers.

Since her childhood in Ethiopia, Jane has lived in Illinois, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and--now--back in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bold, vibrant, and joyful colors illustrate Abena and Kofi’s first night in America. Scared Kofi crawls into his older sister’s bed. To ease his fears, she recounts stories of their native Ghana. Tricky Ansani who collects all the wisdom of the word to become the wisest of them all. The vulture teasing the slowness of the turtle’s “hand come, hand go” to attend his best friend’s mother’s wake. From these stories, Abena’s own fears of her first day of school are allayed. A good bedtime story for your little one.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's it like, when two little kids are spending their first night in a new place, in a new neighborhood, in a new home, in America?

Fears. This is a book about regrets and fears. Abena and Kofi's first night is enhanced with poetic-style text. Including a major character who is a vulture.

For those who love to read tales like this one, especially when poetically described and supplemented by vividly-colored illustrations, sure, on their behalf: FIVE STARS.

This book was really-really not for me, but it takes all kinds to make a world of Goodreaders.

[Chinook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is just a bit too long per page for the girls right now. And I think they struggled to understand the connection of the folk tales to the framing story of the two children who just moved to the US.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Come and say what you know.”

A sister shares stories from Ghana with her younger brother.

Come and say what you know.

[Rachel Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

title: In the Small, Small Night (picture)
author: Jane Kurtz
Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Date of publication: 2005
Summary: This book is about a young boy and girl from Ghana. The boy is afraid to sleep at night and misses Ghana. His sister tells him stories. It was adorable how much love the boy and girl showed. I don't know if I would necessarily use this in my classroom.

[Angelina Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Saba N Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl helps her little brother relax and calm his fears as she tells him stories of their homeland, Ghana. Storytelling is a tradition in Africa that allows the passing of knowledge, heritage and traditions. So long as they have their stories, Abena and her brother Kofi, will always remember those they left behind in their homeland.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kofi and Abena have just moved to America with their parents. They are from Ghana. In the middle of the night, Kofi wakes up afraid – of snakes and lizards; of forgetting his grandmother and cousins. Abena comforts him with tales from Ghana – an Anansi story and a Turtle story. Abena is afraid she will be made fun of at school and Kofi comforts her.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the bond between children. Children have a way of consoling one another. The African American children demonstrated strength in remember their heritage and not wanting to forget it. Wonderful story for those who have left their homeland.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be great to have in the class library, it speaks about the fears of children who just moved to America. I did not like however how the author had two folk tales mixed into the story, they semmed very random snd did not match the story.

[V]

T just pulled it off library shelf at random. It's so pleasing when the random selection turns out to be something as enjoyable as this was.

V's Review

Two immigrant children with concerns about their new life in America reassure one another with traditional stories from Ghana.

Abena wakes one night "in her strange new bed" to find her little brother Kofi snuggled beside her. He worries about forgetting their family in Ghana, so Abena tells familiar stories to reassure Kofi that she will help him remember their family. Kofi takes solace in the stories, and then uses the same tales to help his sister overcome her anxieties.

The frame narrative of two immigrant children with fears about their new life will resonate with children beginning a new stage in life. I particularly liked seeing how this book legitimized the children's fears, and that it suggested the use of stories when coping with them. The first time we read this was at nap time, and we found its message and warmth a fitting way to fall asleep.

T's Review
(age 2 years and 11 months)

Me: Did you like the story?

T: Yeah. It was a good book.

Me: What did you like about it?

T: I liked that it was so long!
(It wasn't so long in reality, but perhaps having two fables plus a frame made him feel like it was long.)

Me: If Abena and Kofi were real, would you want to be friends with them?

T: Yes.

Me: How did the book make you feel?

T: Sad because he was worried that crocodiles and lizards were real[ly in his room that night].

Me: Was the ending happy or sad?

T: Happy because he didn't have to worry.