This is my favorite Anna Hibiscus so far (my 6yo and I have read almost all of them). Atinuke has touched on poverty before in her stories, like when Anna goes to the poorest part of the city and finds children playing in a rubbish heap. In this story, Anna and her big girl cousins go to their grandparents' village on vacation. There is no school there so Anna teaches some village children ABCs and 123s. She also meets an orphaned boy who is on his own.

Despite the hard truths in this story, the telling is warm and optimistic. These books seem aimed at early chapter book readers, ages 6 to 9 or so. There are not many books for this age that take on such difficult topics and probably even fewer that do it so well. ( )

The delightful Anna Hibiscus returns in this seventh chapter-book devoted to her doings in "Amazing Africa." Still on holiday in her grandparents' ancestral village, where she traveled in the previous installment, Go Well, Anna Hibiscus!, our heroine here confronts some rather unpleasant realities. In ABC and 123, Anna discovers that the village children her own age are smaller than her because they don't get enough to eat, and withdraws in hurt and confusion until she discovers that she has been helping them after all, by teaching them. Anna Hibiscus Catches a Thief sees Anna chasing after the young boy who steals her banana in the market, only to discover that he is an orphan with no family and no home. Help Sunny! sees Anna and her family stepping in when the young banana thief becomes ill, and needs medical care. In Anything Is Possible Anna's cousins help the village get a school, when the government ignores Grandfather's pleas. The book closes as Grandfather invites Sunny (the banana thief) to become part of the family...

Likes its predecessors, Love from Anna Hibiscus pairs an engaging and ultimately heartwarming narrative from Nigerian expatriate author Atinuke with charming illustrations from English artist Lauren Tobia. The social lessons that are woven into all of Atinuke's books are a little more pointed here than in previous installments of the series, but nevertheless feel like natural parts of the story, and never overwhelm the more entertaining, humorous side of the narrative. Anna continues to learn and grow, surrounded by her loving extended family, who are always ready to lend a hand, or to teach her important lessons about how to be in the world. I continue to appreciate Grandmother and Grandfather in particular, and the gentle wisdom they show in guiding the impulsive but goodhearted Anna as she confronts some of the less pleasant aspects of life in her country (and the world). Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other books about Anna Hibiscus, and to anyone seeking beginning chapter-books with an African (no doubt Nigerian, like the author) setting and cultural outlook. ( )