Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Nelda Lateef’s captures wise saying in their new book African Proverbs for All Ages. The title shows that all age groups will benefit from these inspirational aphorisms centered on community, animals, and the earth. The sayings offer life lessons gathered over centuries and have been passed down through oral tradition.
LaTeef’s vibrant illustrations pair beautifully with the universal and often poetic sayings. In her introduction, Cole says adults assume the young are not capable of interpreting metaphors, and adults shortchange themselves when they focus solely on practical matters.
Cole, who an anthropologist became the first female African American president of Spelman College and later was president of Bennett College, both historically Black colleges for women. From 2009 to 2017, she was the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Nelda LaTeef is an award-winning author and illustrator of several books, including The Talking Baobab Tree and Animal Village.
The two authors have collected proverbs from the African countries in which they lived at different times for a while. In writing African Proverbs for All Ages, published by Roaring Brook Press and an Oprah Book imprint, they are sharing decades-long accumulated knowledge.