Nafu Wants Food

Gr 2-4–The monster Nafu is simultaneously terrorizing and protecting the fantasy village of Mongo, which is inspired by West African architecture. When Nafu the multilimbed beast runs out of food, he goes on an adventure to find new places and villages that have food for him to eat. Influenced by African folklore, Bosa introduces readers to a unique monster who is powerful but vulnerable as well as characters and villages that are reminiscent of ancient African civilizations. The story laces subtle humor with edgy events, such as Nafu losing his limbs, but the overall theme and social emotional message is clouded within a narrative that is trying to cover a lot of territory and includes a lot text for its intended audience. However, the gross-out factor of what happens to Nafu’s body and the inclusion of the beloved dung beetle could be a selling point. The strength of this graphic novel lies in the unique nature of the illustrations and their connection to African folklore while breaking tradition in the construction of typical graphic novel panels. The angles, edges, and shapes of the panels amplify the fantasy element and Nafu in ways that the words cannot. Nafu is a yellow and purple monster, and there is a range of skin tones and hair textures among the human characters throughout.