The Case of the Missing Kolo

Gr 2-6–A trio of kids in Makoko, a Nigerian fishing village, seek their friend’s missing kolo before the annual kolo-breaking party. A kolo is a wooden box similar to a piggy bank that children decorate, collect change in, and break a few days before the yearly harvest festival, so they can buy treats and trinkets with their savings. The book begins with a prose explanation of the particulars of Makoko life, delivered by the book’s inquisitive, energetic main character, Korobá. Soon the story commences, depicting an average day in and out of the local waterside markets with Korobá and friends. The next day, however, is anything but average, as Korobá’s friend Saidat discovers that her undecorated kolo, the contents of which she’s calculated meticulously, has gone missing. The kolo hunt commences, with Korobá, Saidat, and Joba questioning suspects and collecting clues while racing down Makoko’s boardwalks, boating on the Lagos Lagoon, and managing daily chores and sibling squabbles. Drawing great visual inspiration from the caper-driven Tintin series, down to a petite canine sidekick, Ònájìn makes the foreign setting feel familiar with brightly colored, perfectly paneled illustrations. Korobá and her crew balance their well-established friendships with serious sleuthing for an engaging, character-driven story. Korobá and her friends are Black.