As a kid, I knew the word "Timbuktu," but I didn't realize it was a real place. I'd try to jam the name into limericks, making clumsy rhymes with "Kalamazoo."
Then, as a college kid, I actually visited Tombuctou (yes, Timbuktu) in Mali, West Africa.
Needless to say, I was excited to see a short story about Timbuktu in Rona Arato's On a Medieval Day: Story Voyages Around the World (illustrated by Peter Ferguson). This book seems to be suitable for older elementary students, perhaps grades four and up.
"Kofi's Adventure," the story about Timbuktu, is one of nine historical fiction tales about children in the epoc from the 400s to the 1400s. What is refreshing is that the stories are not just about Medieval Europe: civilizations from the Mayans to the Islamic Kingdom to Japan (and Timbuktu!) are explored.
This is a fantastic resource for students to begin research about medieval times, events -- including the Inquisition and the Plague -- and various countries. The stories all include maps and a non-fiction summary of the events and places mentioned.
This Maple Tree Press series also features On a Canadian Day.
For more reviews, please see Quill & Quire
On a Medieval Day
Written by Rona Arato
Illustrated by Peter Ferguson
Maple Tree Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897349-95-3
$17.95 CND / $15.95 US
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