Nigerian author Bunmi Emenanjo and illustrator Diana Ejaita are reuniting for Our World: Nigeria, a board book introducing young readers to the beauty and diversity of Nigeria through language, food, and everyday life. Published by Barefoot Books and set for release on March 17, 2026, the book joins the publisher’s successful Our World series, which has sold over 200,000 copies across multiple titles. The collaboration marks another partnership between Emenanjo and Ejaita, whose previous work together produced I Will See You in Ijebu, a picture book celebrating Yoruba culture and intergenerational connection.

Our World: Nigeria takes readers through a day in Nigeria, visiting markets, greeting teachers, and tasting sweet fried plantains while learning phrases in Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa with pronunciation guides throughout. The book opens with “Ekaro!”—Yoruba for “Good morning”—and continues exploring Nigeria as a multilingual nation where hundreds of languages coexist. Emenanjo’s text acknowledges the country’s linguistic richness while introducing children to three of its most widely spoken languages, offering a counter-narrative to monolingual children’s literature that often flattens African countries into single-language contexts. Ejaita’s vibrant illustrations bring Nigerian streetscapes, markets, and local townspeople to life, creating visual entry points for children unfamiliar with the country.

For Nigerian children in the diaspora, Our World: Nigeria offers cultural affirmation and language exposure; for non-Nigerian children, it introduces the concept of multilingualism as integral to many societies. School Library Journal praised the Our World series for offering “solid glimpses of faraway places, more poetry than a tour guide . . . evocative and inviting,” a description that captures how board books can function as both mirrors for children seeing their own cultures represented and windows for those encountering new contexts.

Emenanjo and Ejaita’s collaboration continues building on their successful creative partnership, bringing Nigerian storytelling and visual aesthetics into the global children’s book market through a major international publisher. Barefoot Books’ decision to include Nigeria in the Our World series, which features countries and cities from around the globe, reflects growing demand for diverse children’s literature that moves beyond Western-centric narratives. Our World: Nigeria arrives as part of broader conversations about representation in children’s publishing, where African creators are increasingly claiming space to tell their own stories on their own terms, introducing the next generation to the continent’s complexity, beauty, and everyday magic. The book releases March 17, 2026.

Preorder here.