Anna Hibiscus

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Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her mother and father and grandfather and grandmother and aunties and cousins about it, the more her happiness grows! There's only one thing to do...Sing!

Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her mother and father and grandfather and grandmother and aunties and cousins about it, the more her happiness grows! There’s only one thing to do…Sing!

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To round off the year we bring the festive classic White Christmas to the Crucible stage this December. Directed by Paul Foster, it’s a musical that will delight all ages. ” Anna Hibiscus is a perfect early chapter book, combining humor, nuance and a wonderful sense of cross-cultural connections. As a school librarian and a parent, I know how hard it is to find books that engage children who are beyond "readers" and ready to move into chapter books. After spending two-and-a-half years living in Ethiopia and another year living in Ghana, all I can say is this book is terribly offensive. Supposedly the author was born in Nigeria, but then she should know that "Africa" is a continent, not a country. The main character, Anna Hibiscus, lives in "Africa." Because that's where her father was born. Her mother was born in Canada...a country. She should have said North America. She has a way with words, that Atinuke. It will surprise no one reading these stories that she is a professional storyteller. For example, any kid who has ever had a younger sibling that was teething will instantly understand why Atinuke uses capital letters to describe the newly awakened Double and Trouble with the sentence, “They were Awake and Angry.” The tone of the books is always dead on. Though Anna learns a couple lessons in the course of these tales, you never feel as if the books are preachy or didactic. For example, when Anna refuses to get her hair done any more, all her grandmother has to say is “Leave her. She will learn,” and you know that grandma speaks the exact truth. Beyond Sheffield, the Olivier Award nominated new musical which started life at the Crucible Theatre, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, continues at the National Theatre until Saturday 25 March 2023, written by Chris Bush with the music of Richard Hawley and directed by Robert Hastie, nationaltheatre.org.uk. Also in London, the Playhouse Theatre’s acclaimed comedy Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo in a new version by comedian and writer Tom Basden runs at the Lyric Hammersmith from Monday 13 March – Saturday 8 April 2023, lyric.co.uk.

Teachers can take part in a wealth of education engagement opportunities.From young people working with industry professionals, to teachers joining the Sheffield Theatres Educators Party (STEP), Sheffield Theatres aims to support teachers in delivering the curriculum while developing creative opportunities for young people. Althea Burey will play the roles of Narrator, Angel, Mama. Althea has multiple children's productions stage credits to her name including The Smeds and the Smoos, The Gruffalo's Child and Paw Patrol Live.We look forward to a new season of shows that showcase what our theatres do best: offer audiences thrilling experiences with new and reimagined work on all our stages. In the first story Anna, her father, her mother, and Anna's two baby brothers go on a vacation away from the family, but discover that it's very difficult to take care of babies and cleaning all by yourself. The next day, all the aunties come to help. But that's not quite enough--and so all the big cousins come to help, and so on, and so forth, until the whole family is together again, and everyone is happy. All that, and funny & cute & delightfully illustrated, too. And concise, & accessible, I believe, to children as young as five or six (with a mentor) or eight (reading on their own). 4.5 stars... every child, whether or not they're Nigerian, should have this series available to them. Anna Hibiscus has never been away from her home in Africa, surrounded by her parents and baby brothers, as well as all of her aunts and uncles and cousins. But now she is going to Canada to visit her grandmother for Christmas. She has never met Granny Canada and she can’t wait to see snow! Canada is very cold and it takes Anna a little while to get used to wearing lots of clothes and eating different types of food. She also has to get used to Granny’s dog, Qimmac. And though she misses her brothers and cousins, Anna soon makes lots of friends and has a wonderful time playing with them in the snow and celebrating Christmas with Granny Canada.

Admittedly, I would have liked Atinuke to give her books a country and not just a vague “Africa” for where they take place. It’s great for kids to know what life is like overseas, but there’s always the danger that they’ll just assume that all of Africa is one and the same. That said, it’s hard to find much fault with such a lovely series. From the pictures to the stories to the writing to the tone, everything about these books makes you feel happy and content. Here’s hoping there are more Anna Hibiscus books somewhere in the works. A finer crop of overseas fare I have yet to find for the early chapter book set. Memorable and enchanting.Alongside Sheffield Theatres’ own productions, dazzling tours and up-and-coming shows, you can develop creativity and learn more with a dynamic range of activities and events:

Utopia Theatre and Sheffield Theatres today announce the cast for their new production of Anna Hibiscus’ Song , the theatrical adaptation of the much-loved children’s book by Atinuke. Staged in the intimate and flexible Playhouse, the story of Anna Hibiscus is directed and adapted by Utopia Theatre Founder, CEO and Artistic Director Mojisola Kareem-Elufowoju. What a lovely story. The book showcases four different chapters with individual stories contained within about Anna Hibiscus, who is a young girl growing up in Africa with her large, loving family. Following the success of 2021’s celebratory event Together in the City Festival, Together Toowill take place from Friday 28 – Saturday 29 July, showcasing the incredible creativity of Sheffield’s community, within the theatres and across the city. Anna Hibiscus is looking forward to visiting her grandmother in Canada, where she will see snow for the first time! But before she goes, she must find suitable clothes to keep her warm in the cold winter weather, and say goodbye to the family she loves.All this, plus an exciting summer ahead with our newly reimagined production of Miss Saigon,which we are delighted to be extending by a week due to extraordinary demand,followed by the autumn and winter season of brand-new shows announced today. I’m thrilled to join these daring and beautiful theatres as we look ahead to an exceptional year!” In the third, Anna wants to sell oranges on the street like the other girls outside her house. She has bright, healthy oranges and a clean dress, and sells many more oranges than the other girls, but when her father, uncle, and grandfather wonder what upset the girls selling oranges outside--some of them in very difficult life situations--Anna realizes that she made a mistake. She amends for it by working hard the next day, bringing all the other girls oranges, and at the end, she's proud of how hard she worked. Althea Burey will play the roles of Narrator, Angel, Mama. Althea has multiple children’s productions stage credits to her name including The Smeds and the Smoos, The Gruffalo’s Child and Paw Patrol Live. Utopia Theatre and Sheffield Theatres have announced the cast for their new production of Anna Hibiscus' Song, the theatrical adaptation of the much-loved children's book by Atinuke. Staged in the intimate and flexible Playhouse, the story of Anna Hibiscus is directed and adapted by Utopia Theatre Founder, CEO and Artistic Director Mojisola Kareem-Elufowoju.