Chemutai Glasheen’s I Am the Mau makes prestigious 2024 White Ravens List
I Am the Mau and other stories by acclaimed debut author Chemutai Glasheen is one of five Australian books on The White Ravens: A Selection of International Children’s and Youth Literature books for 2024.
Selected by the International Youth Library‘s children’s literature experts, they represent literary and pictorial excellence with a particular focus on books that will interest an international audience.
They describe Glasheen’s book as a ‘moving collection of short stories [that] offers young adult readers a glimpse into many different aspects of everyday life in Kenya’ that will serve as ‘inspiration to further explore the complex history and rich cultural traditions of this East African country.’
This year’s recommendations include 200 notable new children’s and young adult books in 44 languages from 62 countries. The complete list is free to download from the International Youth Library’s website (free download on website) and The White Ravens 2024 books will be on display at the International Youth Library’s stand at the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
The reviews, bibliographical data and book covers of The White Ravens 2024 are also available in The White Ravens Database. This research tool holds information on all featured books since the issue in 2010.
I Am the Mau and other stories is an enticing collection of contemporary fiction and a celebration of our ubuntu: the invisible ties that bind us all together. The evocative stories explore the duality of Kenyan life and how to find a way between two cultures, both of which are yours. In 2024, it was a CBCA Notable Book and was shortlisted for a WA Premier’s Book Award.
