Review Detail

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.