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4-6
Illustrated by
Hillary D. Wilson.
Historical African leaders--Egyptian pharaohs, Aesop, Hannibal, Mansa Musa, and queens Amanirenas and Idia, and others--are introduced in thrilling accounts (some poetic license taken) of their lives; each entry is accompanied by an eye-catching full-color (speculative) portrait. To convey the breadth and depth of pre-Colonial African culture, Baptiste includes accessible overviews of historical developments such as Carthaginian dominance in the Mediterranean and the formation of trans-Saharan trade routes with the kingdoms of Mali and Ghana. Maps, illustrations, and photos of relevant artifacts (an ivory mask of Queen Idia; a fourteenth-century illustration of Mansa Musa) are sprinkled throughout. An author's note, source notes, bibliography, links for "further exploration," and an index are among the back matter in this fascinating history.