{"product_id":"too-small-tola-and-the-three-fine-girls-isbn-9781536233124","title":"Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls","description":"\u003cb\u003e“Atinuke uses her memorable storyteller’s voice to create a vivid picture of a strong, loving matriarch; a family surrounded by supportive friends; and Tola, an irresistible heroine who does what she can to help\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cb\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcclaimed author and storyteller Atinuke reunites with illustrator Onyinye Iwu for a follow-up to their highly acclaimed first chapter book about a little girl with a mighty will and charm to spare. Too Small Tola lives in an apartment with her clever sister, Moji; her big brother, Dapo; and Grandmommy, who is very bossy. In these endearing everyday adventures, Tola is sized just right to wriggle under the bed and rescue Grandmommy’s prized possession when it goes missing. Her savvy and math skills save the day when Grandmommy gets sick, and when the family can’t afford new clothes, industrious Tola finds a way—with a little help from Grandmommy—to be just as fine as the three fine girls she so greatly admires. Richly patterned black-and-white art and Atinuke’s captivating wit evoke an authentic and close-knit urban community and the vibrant energy of Lagos, Nigeria, through the eyes of a tiny but resolute heroine with something to teach us all.This poignant book conveys great \u003cb\u003ewarmth \u003c\/b\u003eand familial love despite the characters’ tenuous circumstances. Tola is an endearing and utterly relatable protagonist. The tale uses colloquialisms and references that will make Nigerian readers feel at home. . . . Mighty fine!\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAtinuke uses her powerful storyteller’s voice to create a vivid picture of a strong, loving matriarch; a family surrounded by supportive friends; and Tola, an irresistible heroine who does what she can to help. With large type, plenty of white space on the page, and energetic line drawings throughout, the book is \u003cb\u003eapproachable \u003c\/b\u003efor many young readers, who will be well rewarded for their efforts.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt’s impossible not to love Atinuke’s little protagonist\u003c\/b\u003e, who never lets her small size get in the way of her big personality or dreams. The frequent grayscale chapter illustrations will help readers who may be unfamiliar with aspects of Tola’s Nigerian life and culture. A great read-alike for Juana \u0026amp; Lucas fans, the Too Small Tola series is a wonderful addition to early-chapter-book collections.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElementary readers will relate to Tola’s interactions with her family as they learn about Nigerian culture. . . an \u003cb\u003eentertaining \u003c\/b\u003etale about determination and family. A good choice for fans of the author’s previous 'Tola' titles; readers will not be disappointed with this pleasant new installment.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTola and her family are very likable and have a believable relationship\u003c\/b\u003e where you can tell they love each other even when they are not getting along. . . gives a clear picture of what it can be like to live in poverty without being too graphic for young readers.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Connection\u003cb\u003eAtinuke\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Nigeria and spent her childhood in both Africa and the UK. She is the author of the best-selling Anna Hibiscus series, as well as \u003ci\u003eAfrica\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Amazing Africa: Country by Country\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eillustrated by Mouni Feddag, and the celebrated \u003ci\u003eToo Small Tola\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eillustrated by Onyinye Iwu\u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003eAtinuke started her career as an oral storyteller of tales from the African continent; now she writes about contemporary life in Nigeria. Atinuke lives on a mountain overlooking the sea in Wales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOnyinye Iwu \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Italy to Nigerian parents and moved to England when she was thirteen. She is a designer, illustrator, and educator. She is also the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eToo Small Tola\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewhich was her first book for children. Onyinye Iwu lives in London.\u003cb\u003eTola Saves the Day\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTola lives in a run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria. Tola’s sister, Moji, is much cleverer than Tola. Tola’s brother, Dapo, is much faster than Tola. And even short-short Grandmommy is taller than Tola. Which makes Tola feel so small-o!\u003cbr\u003e   It is a rainy Saturday. There is no school on Saturday. Tola, Moji, and Dapo are all at home. \u003cbr\u003e   But Grandmommy is not at home. Grandmommy is out selling groundnuts by the side of the road. That is her job. And her job does not stop on Saturday. Her job stops only on Sunday, for church.\u003cbr\u003e    In church Grandmommy wears her most precious items—gold dangly earrings that are kept on the shelf beside her bed. Those earrings were worn by Grandmommy’s own mother and her grandmother and her great-grandmother. When she wears them, Grandmommy recites all their names, thanking them for giving her strength to carry on. \u003cbr\u003e   Grandmommy says that she can feel their strength in her blood and in her bones. Moji used to say that this was unscientific—until she found out about DNA. Grandmommy was not surprised. She said scientists are only catching up with what people have always known. \u003cbr\u003e   But church day is Sunday. And today is still Saturday. So Grandmommy is not wearing her dangly earrings. She is at work. And although Tola and Moji and Dapo are not at school, and although they do not have jobs to go to, they still have work to do. \u003cbr\u003e   “You three must clean the rice,” Grandmommy had told them. \u003cbr\u003e   Tola’s family can only buy cheap sacks of rice. Cheap sacks of rice have many small stones in them, stones that must be picked out. \u003cbr\u003e   Selling groundnuts by the side of the road does not earn them enough to buy sacks of expensive clean rice. \u003cbr\u003e   And Grandmommy cannot earn the money for food and wash all their clothes and also clean the stones out of the rice. So Tola and Dapo and Moji have to help. \u003cbr\u003e   But in fact Moji is studying on the old computer that her scholarship school has lent her. She is frowning at the screen with her A+ frown.\u003cbr\u003e   And in fact Dapo is using his knees to keep a football up in the air. He is wearing his Africa Cup of Nations frown.\u003cbr\u003e   So in fact it is only Tola who is squatting on the floor picking stones out of the rice! From where she is, she can see the bed and the shelf with Grandmommy’s gold earrings gleaming next to the Bible. \u003cbr\u003e   “Dapo!” she says to her brother. “You are supposed to be helping!”\u003cbr\u003e   Dapo kicks the ball up with his knees faster and faster and faster. Then he suddenly traps it under his foot like a rat under a broom. He beams at Tola.\u003cbr\u003e   “You see that?” he asks. “You see my World Cup moves? When I become a professional footballer, I will pay for somebody to pick the stones out of the rice.” Dapo pauses. \u003cbr\u003e   “Do not worry, Too Small Tola. I will take care of you! But for now, I must practice!”\u003cbr\u003e   Dapo starts to kick the ball up on his knees again. And Tola rolls her eyes.\u003cbr\u003e   “Moji!” Tola says to her sister. “Come and do the rice with me!”\u003cbr\u003e   Moji raises her eyebrows at Tola.\u003cbr\u003e   “If I do the rice now, then I will not be able to study. And if I do not study, then I will not become a doctor. And if I do not become a doctor, then I will be picking stones out of rice for the rest of my life.”\u003cbr\u003e   “But Moji—” Tola says.\u003cbr\u003e   “Leave me alone to become a doctor,” Moji says. “Then I will buy us all expensive rice. Rice with no stones.”\u003cbr\u003e   Moji turns back to her computer screen. \u003cbr\u003e   Tola scowls. She always does the Saturday jobs alone. \u003cbr\u003e   And picking stones out of rice takes forever.\u003cbr\u003e   And it is boring-o!\u003cbr\u003e   But Tola continues because if Grandmommy comes home and the rice is not finished, then she will not be happy. And Grandmommy might be small, but her lungs are not. And that is also why Tola never tells her that Moji and Dapo do not help with the Saturday jobs. Tola does not want to hear Grandmommy shouting, even if it is not at her. \u003cbr\u003e   Dapo kicks the ball up on his knees again. He makes a little grunt each time he does it. \u003cbr\u003e   “Dapo!” snaps Moji. “You are not allowed to do that inside! Grandmommy will be angry!”\u003cbr\u003e   But it is raining hard, so Dapo cannot practice outside. It is proper Nigerian rain, with fat drops flying down hard and fast like in a rich man’s shower.\u003cbr\u003e   “And who will tell Grandmommy?” Dapo grunts. “You, who are supposed to be doing the rice?”\u003cbr\u003e   Moji glares at Dapo. Dapo keeps his eyes on the ball. Nothing can puncture his concentration! He is kicking faster and faster. And grunting faster and faster too. \u003cbr\u003e   “Dapo!” Moji shouts. “That ball will break something! And then what will Grandmommy do to you?”\u003cbr\u003e   It is Dapo’s concentration that breaks! \u003cbr\u003e   The ball rolls away and knocks into Tola’s neat piles of rice and stones. \u003cbr\u003e   They become one pile of rice and stones mixed together like before. \u003cbr\u003e   “Look what you did!” Tola shrieks.\u003cbr\u003e   “I told you!” Moji sings out.\u003cbr\u003e   “It was you!” Dapo shouts at her. “It was you who did it. You are a witch!”\u003cbr\u003e   “A witch!” Now Moji is shrieking too. “Who are you calling a witch?”\u003cbr\u003e   Tola sighs loudly and leaves them to argue. She is so angry she could box their heads together. But they look like they are going to do that themselves. So she leaves them to it and starts to separate the piles all over again.","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299843887333,"sku":"NP9781536233124","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781536233124.jpg?v=1767742815","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/too-small-tola-and-the-three-fine-girls-isbn-9781536233124","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}