*Review* The Little Regent by Yewande Daniel-Ayode

 

Genre: Children's 4-8 years

Published: March 15, 2024

Pages: 44

A little girl is tasked with ruling her West African village in this empowering story about breaking from tradition and leading with your heart

After the king of a West African village dies, his eight-year-old daughter Abioye is made the temporary ruler, or regent, until a new king is chosen. The chiefs scoff at this decision―a little girl can’t be regent! Even Abioye herself doubts whether she’s up to the task. But her late father’s words of wisdom comfort and guide her: Those who will rule must first learn to serve.

The next day, amid meetings about taxes and titles, Abioye keeps her eyes and ears open for ways to serve her people. When she hears about their dried-up well, their leaky boats, and their hungry children, she decides to devote herself to helping the villagers instead of attending stuffy meetings with the chiefs. With her ideas and support, the village flourishes. But as the villagers praise her leadership, the chiefs complain that she is abandoning her duties, and announce that it's time for a new king. When the time comes for the villagers to vote for their new ruler, they reject all the other candidates and crown Abioye instead, making her the first female king the village has ever had!

Author Yewande Daniel-Ayoade draws on Yoruba traditions and culture to craft a highly original, uplifting feminist fable. Abioye’s journey will inspire readers, regardless of age or gender, to discover their inner strength, wisdom, and capacity to lead.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This is a story about a young girl from the Yoruba tribe in Africa. When her parents pass away, she became the regent because she is the only person of royal descent available at the time. She works hard to rule well while she has the position, as the elders try to figure out a solution to the problem. But then she is made king of the tribe, even though she's a girl, because she ruled so well. 

I love the girl power aspect of this story, and challenging patriarchal norms in general. I think this would be a great story to read multiple times to children, to make them really think about the way things operate now, and hopefully to help them learn that just because we've always done something one way doesn't mean we can't make positive changes. The illustrations were colorful and bold. 

Overall I give The Little Regent 4.4829 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

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YEWANDE DANIEL-AYOADE is a Nigerian-Canadian author whose children’s love for princesses inspired her to write this book. When she is not working as a management consultant, Yewande can be found cooking, baking, singing, or playing board games. Yewande lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband and five children.

KEN DALEY is an award-winning artist/illustrator who lives in Tillsonburg, Ontario. His art and illustrations are inspired by his African-Caribbean heritage, and he has exhibited his work in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Ken has illustrated numerous children’s books and received an Américas Award Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Picture Book for Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings.