Idia of the Benin Kingdom by Ekiuwa Aire {Our Ancestories; 1}

Book Blurb:

Discover the journey of a young heroine who saw her future in a dream and works her way to becoming one of the most well-loved, praised, and successful queens of the African Kingdom of Benin.
Idia of the Benin Kingdom takes readers on a beautifully illustrated journey to the 1500s in ancient Africa. Readers are captivated as they watch Idia transform herself from the young and curious daughter of a village warrior to becoming the Queen of the Kingdom of Benin.
This book teaches about perseverance, hard work, devotion, kindness, generosity, and love, it speaks to how we can be inspired to strive for our goals as long as we believe in them. Idia of the Benin Kingdom is a precious storybook that empowers a young girl to create a vision of who she wants to be as she creates limitless possibilities for her future.
This book is a rare jewel among children’s illustrated storybooks. Each page is enhanced with beautiful and vibrant drawings that bring the story to life and retell ancient African history in a whole new light!

I read this book of my own accord and was not required to write a review. Therefore all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Rayleigh’s Review:

Idia of the Benin Kingdom is a gorgeous picture book reimagining an African history story about Queen Idia of the Benin Kingdom.

With my first kiddo on the way, I’m on a mad hunt for new, diverse, and beautiful books that will normalize the concepts of different cultures for my kids. I didn’t grow up reading books set in different cultures and I want so much more for my kids.

Idia of the Benin Kingdom drew me in primarily with the detailed cover illustration and then hooked me once I read the blurb. This book is exactly what I’ve been looking for! The story is simple (ages 4-8) but captures the majority story of the legendary queen and both empowers and motivates the readers to accomplish their goals. I absolutely adore the illustrations and found myself just admiring the pictures for several minutes without even reading. It’s so beautiful!

Another aspect that I really like is the history included. At the end of the book, there is a quaint summarization of the real story of Queen Idia, along with a map of Benin, and a history of the Edo people. Idia of the Benin Kingdom is certainly a rare find in children’s books and it’s one that I will be adding to my library!