By Onyinye Iwu (author) , Onyinye Iwu (illustrator)
"Traversing 2000 years, this informative illustrated primer to trailblazing African queens is a fact-packed inspiration."
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
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September 2026 Book of the Month
Blazing with the extraordinary feats of its extraordinary subjects as it covers all corners of the African continent across 2000 years, African Queens delivers exactly what Onyinye Iwu promises in her engaging introduction. Namely, it “shines a light on women from all over Africa throughout history who made a huge impact in their communities”.
Dazzlingly illustrated, and lucidly laid-out, it shares the stories of twelve remarkable subjects in all, including Amanirenas, the one-eyed Sudanese warrior queen who fought the Romans, and Sayyida Al-Hurra, the polyglot Moroccan pirate queen. Then there’s Mmanthatisi, the mighty “Wild Cat Queen” of the southern African Basia people, and Amina, the war-waging, sword-wielding queen of Zazzau.
Brimming with brain-boggling facts, and framed in the context of the fact that “women and girls all over the world are often looked down upon and seen as weak or not valuable”, African Queens sees Iwu achieve her hope that this bright, bold book will inspire and encourage girls around the globe to “believe in themselves and let their inner queen shine”. Ideal for fans of the Little People Big Dreams series, African Queens is a great gift for history-loving 7+-year-olds, and also suited for use in the classroom - Onyinye Iwu is a secondary school teacher and illustrator whose work graces Atinuke’s Too Small Tola series.
Travel through 2,000 years of history and meet the legendary women leaders of Africa - from Queen Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt to the fierce Amazon warriors of Dahomey and many more!
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Be inspired by the empowering stories of trailblazing queens, like:
- The Sudanese queen, Amanirenas, who defeated the Romans - The Moroccan pirate queen, Sayyida Al-Hurra, who took back her treasure - The mighty Queen Mother of Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa, who tricked an empire - The wonderful warrior women of Dahomey (Benin) who protected their king, and many more!
Bursting full of bold illustrations and astounding facts, these tales of courageous queens will be perfect for inspiring any budding historians and an ideal gift for fans o f Little People Big Dreams, Fantastically Great Women, David Olusoga's Black and British and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
"This is a bold, important and joyful book! It will make any girl's heart swell with pride. I would have treasured it as a little girl" - Atinuke, award-winning author of Africa, Amazing Africa
Onyinye Iwu is a children’s book illustrator, designer and lecturer. In her work, Onyinye focuses on the representation of people of African and Caribbean background. She is the illustrator of Walker's Too Small Tola series by Atinuke. Her debut picture book as an author-illustrator is called African Queens .
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Travel through 2,000 years of history and meet the legendary women leaders of Africa - from Queen Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt to the fierce Amazon warriors of Dahomey and many more!Be inspired by the empowering stories of trailblazing queens, like:- The Sudanese queen, Amanirenas, who defeated the Romans- The Moroccan pirate queen, Sayyida Al-Hurra, who took back her treasure- The mighty Queen Mother of Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa, who tricked an empire- The wonderful warrior women of Dahomey (Benin) who protected their king, and many more!Bursting full of bold illustrations and astounding facts, these tales of courageous queens will be perfect for inspiring any budding historians and an ideal gift for fans of Little People Big Dreams, Fantastically Great Women, David Olusoga's Black and British and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed African Queens and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-12 years old
African Queens features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, History, People / Places, Geography, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Educational: Humanities and social sciences, general, Educational material
Hardback. £11.69, down from the £12.99 cover price. In Stock.
African Queens was written by Onyinye Iwu and published by Walker Books Ltd an imprint of Walker Books
African Queens has 32 pages
£11.69, reduced from £12.99. In Stock.
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