Esi the Brave (Who Was Not Afraid of Anything)

3.3

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Author(s)

Bernard Mensah

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Raissa Figueroa

Publisher

Dial Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 10, 2024

ISBN

978-0593406410

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A bold and bright picture book about being brave when you're scared in a new, overwhelming environment

Esi is a brave Ghanaian girl who is not afraid of anything. Monsters and ghosts should be scared of her!

When she sets off for the annual Kakamotobi Festival with her parents, she’s confident she’ll be fine. Her mother warns that there’s going to be loud music and scary masks and a very big crowd, but Esi’s unconcerned. She's not afraid of anything.

But when they get to the festival and her parents suddenly disappear in a crowd of terrifying monster masks, Esi realizes that to save her parents, she’ll have to be the bravest she’s ever been. With detail-packed illustrations and a text begging to be read aloud, this is the perfect story about finding your inner strength to be brave.

Editor review

1 review

spotlight on the Kakamotobi Festival of Ghana

December 06, 2024

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Esi the Brave shines a spotlight on the Kakamotobi Festival of Ghana. During the festival, the people wear scary masks and eat delicious food, and dance. However, Esi, is separated from her parents and at first is overwhelmed with the costuming and runs away from the monsters until she remembers to face down her fears and can see them as people wearing masks. The illustrations use bold festive colors and when Esi gets scared the jagged lines, overblown expressions, and shadows/black emphasize her fear. I like that this book spotlights a culture and tradition that was new to me.
The plot feels disjointed that Esi loses sight of her parents and goes around running with fantastical images before calming down and going back to the festival celebrations like nothing had happened. I wish it had either been more about a family going to the festival or more about her facing fantastical creatures. The juxtaposition of the two purposes didn’t work for me.