A visit from relatives sets the stage for many family-themed children’s books, but in Under the Same Sun by Sharon Robinson and illustrated by A.G. Ford, this visit from Auntie Sharon and Grandmother Bibi is remarkable for the great distance traveled and the deep connections shared. All in all, this is a beautiful picture book filled with love and adventure.
Auntie Sharon and Grandmother Bibi have traveled from the United States all the way to Tanzania to see the seven children and their parents, a trip in honor of Bibi’s upcoming eighty-fifth birthday. The family has a special surprise in store for her- a safari in the Serengeti National Park.
Not only does the safari provide them with incredible, up-close experiences with wild animals like elephants, lions, and giraffes, but it also gives them time to catch up and make memories together, a special treat for loved ones who live many miles apart. Before heading home at the conclusion of the safari, the family makes a stop at Bagamoyo, Tanzania, a town on the Indian Ocean that housed a slave-trading post years ago. The father of the family explains the significance of the ruins before them in relation to their own family. The children’s great-great-grandparents had been taken from the west coast of Africa and enslaved in Georgia. Generations later, the children’s father returned to Africa to make his home and start a family.
A brief explanation of the concept of slavery is given beside two hauntingly beautiful illustrations, in a manner that helps to explain such a horrific concept to young children. The love shared by this family is overwhelming, and as they reach back into history, even though there is pain, there is also a feeling of honor and respect for all who have gone before them.
After the conclusion of the story, parents and teachers will be happy to share the extensive notes from the author, Sharon Robinson, that inform readers of true nature of the story. Sharon Robinson, daughter of famed baseball legend Jackie Robinson, shares memories and photographs of her 2007 trip to Tanzania with her mother Rachel, called Bibi by her grandchildren (Grandmother in Swahili). Seeing the photographs of the children with Bibi brought an even bigger smile to my face after reading this wonderful story of the love of family.
Watch Sharon Robinson and her mother Rachel Robinson chat together about their trip and the release of the book that captures the emotions of it so beautifully:
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