ESI THE BRAVE (WHO WAS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING)

A courageous young Ghanaian girl faces a scary challenge.

Nothing fazes Esi—up until the day Mummy and Daddy load up the car and take her to the Kakamotobi Festival, where people dance, eat street food, and don strange masks. Esi assures her parents that she won’t be scared. But when they arrive, the mask-wearing festivalgoers look like monsters “with GOOGLY eyes, DROOPY LOOPY tongues, and TOWERING TALL legs.” They’re so frightening that Esi hesitates to leave the car. But when her parents are seemingly abducted by the creatures, Esi leaps into action. Striking a bold stance that even Max of Where the Wild Things Are would find impressive, she demands that the creatures “GIVE MUMMY AND DADDY BACK NOW.” Her parents quickly remove their own masks and comfort her. “Were you afraid?” asks Daddy. “Don’t be silly.” Esi was never really afraid and ultimately joins in the festivities with a mask of her own. Esi conjures up visions that are simultaneously frightful, dynamic, and all-around enchanting—a wonderful reflection of how very young children often see the world. Mensah’s onomatopoeia-laced narrative is a delight, while Figueroa relies on full-page spreads festooned with arresting West African–inspired patterns, as well as the clever use of negative space, dramatic angles, and vignettes.

A monstrously good time.