Why a 4-Year-Old from Manchester Decided to Write a Book About Africa.
Every great story starts with a moment. Ours started with a question.
It was bedtime. The books were laid out, colourful, beautifully illustrated, full of adventure and wonder. But as Ronke looked through them with her daughter Modadeola, Mo, she noticed something. The heroes didn’t look like Mo. The landscapes weren’t the ones Mo’s family came from. The names weren’t the names Mo heard at home.
So Mo, aged 4, decided to do something about it.
Mo and the Heart of Africa was born not in a publishing house, not in a boardroom, and not from a market research report. It was born from a little girl’s belief that her story deserved to be told, and that children who looked like her deserved to see themselves as heroes.
The book follows five extraordinary child heroes, each representing a different region of Africa. Mo leads from West Africa, carrying a golden talking drum that awakens the voices of ancestors. Kito adventures through East Africa with a lion-shaped compass. Zola stands for peace in Southern Africa with a shimmering rainbow staff. Amari protects the rainforests of Central Africa with a leaf pendant. And Abari unlocks the ancient secrets of North Africa with a pyramid medallion.
Together they discover what Mo herself already knew: that your roots are not just history. They are your greatest superpower.
Mo is 4 years old. She lives in Manchester. And she has already changed children’s publishing.
Mo and the Heart of Africa is available now on our website and on Amazon UK.
