Nigerian illustrator Alaba Onajin is set to publish his children’s picture book about a Nigerian boy who loves to draw. Titled Ajo and the Big Box of Crayons, the book will be released by Random House Studio in summer 2025.

According to Publisher’s Marketplace, Onajin’s book follows a young Nigerian boy as he “slyly experiments with finding places to draw, staying one step ahead of the grown-ups watching him.” The story is cheeky and innovative, and we are certain that young artists will relate to the naughty and creative main character who does not let rules define him.

Alaba Onajin is a graphic novel artist based in Ondo State, Nigeria. He earned a diploma of cartooning and illustration from Morris College of Journalism and has produced a number of graphic novels ever since, notably The Adventures of Atioro. He is one of the member artists of the UNESCO Women in African History Project. He is currently developing a graphic novel titled Imagined Realities in collaboration with Goethe-Institut and supported by the German Cultural Foundation’s TURN Fund for Artistic Cooperation between Germany and African Countries.

Congrats to Onajin on the children’s picture book!