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Little Rebels Children’s Book Award
(Short List)
Lupine Award Winner
Endies Award Winner

“Every year lots of titles featuring refugees and asylum seekers are submitted to the award. Kende! stands out for the dignity and humanity accorded to Lolie and her family.”
—Little Rebels Children’s Book Award

“Once in a while you may find something and once in a while it’s friggin’ fabulous and impressive. Example A: Kende! Kende! Kende! So, right from the start you open this book up and you’re presented with a gorgeous map of Central Africa and seven QR codes. Each QR code is a different language spoken in this area of the world. You can therefore listen to French, English, Lingala, Swahili, Portuguese, Kinyarwanda, and Arabic….

The art is engaging and the story surprisingly tense even after they arrive in the States. For a picture book with really simple words, this encompasses a LOT! Everything from the difficulties of adjustment to the fact that mama is pregnant and they almost get stuck in a snowstorm on the way to the hospital. Lolie turns out to be the one saving the day in this case since she’s grasped enough English to ask other people for help. The French is so beautifully integrated onto the pages, so a hat tip to the designer of this book. Lots of backmatter at the end gives everything additional context. I particularly liked the QR code that lets you “Explore educator and family engagement materials.”

More like this on our shelves, please.”
—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal’s Fuse #8

“Rahana Dariah’s ‘Kende! Kende! Kende!’ illustrations are full of bold colors and patterns and the busyness of life. From the vibrancy of a tropical village, to the dustiness of a refugee camp, to the stark white snow of an American winter, Dariah uses intense hues to take the reader through the drama of Lolie’s life, to remind us of her family’s constancy and to highlight their need to ‘go.'”
—New York Times Book Review

Kende! Kende! Kende!

Written by Kirsten Cappy and Yaya Gentille
Illustrated by Rahana Dariah
Published by Child's Play

Lolie’s childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo is filled with laughter and curiosity.  Forced suddenly to leave their home, the family flees as fast as her pregnant Mamá can walk. Lolie distracts herself on the journey by observing how bicycles and trucks move and by helping baby Nico be born “right there on four wheels.” In their years in a refugee camp, Lolie’s responsibilities grow as does baby Nico’s ability to restore Lolie’s laughter. Resettled in the US, the family awakes to a blizzard and the realization that Mamá, again pregnant, must go to the hospital. The family makes another journey through the unknown, relying on new words and a community of Mamás to help them kende, kende, kende.

This book is a tribute to the Central Africans who move through many languages to build community and navigate migration. The book is bilingual French/English with action words in Lingala.

Additionally, there are QR-Code-delivered audio read-alouds in Arabic, English, French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Portuguese, and Swahili. Links below!

The Creators

Kirsten Cappy, Executive Director of I’m Your Neighbor Books, co-created this picture book to fill a gap in representation. She has waived all compensation for sales of this book.

Yaya Gentille co-created this book and provided Lingala and French translations of the narrative. This story, however, is not her story.

Rahana Dariah was a British/St. Lucian artist whose art celebrating Black beauty lives on in her shop and in Lolie’s story.

Primary ISBN: 9781786289629
Publication Date: October 2024
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, 8 x 8 Paperback
Picture Book, Age 04 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: DRC, Uganda, United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Refugee or Asylee, Refugee Camp

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.

Lessons (Classroom or Self-Led)

STEM: How Wheels Help Us Kende! Kende! Kende!
Source: I’m Your Neighbor Books
Explore how the wheels in the story interact with load, lever, fulcrum, axle, friction, cogs, balance, and force.

Multilingual Read-Alouds

Listen to translations and readings by Maine USA’s African community:

In the News

Public Radio Feature
Maine authors publish multilingual children’s book, bringing immigrant stories to the page
Source: Maine Public Radio

Read interview with co-creator Kirsten Cappy
Source: YA and Kids Book Central