Chioma and the Masquerade

The book Chioma and the Masquerade is drawn from a typical Nigerian Igbo setting, where children gather under a tree on a moonlight night and are told beautiful stories laced with strong moral lessons. Parents, grandparents, or other adults find joy in storytelling, and the children look forward to these happy times. The stories are sometimes dramatized, and the excited voices of the children can be heard as they sang along with hearty clapping and dancing. This book teaches children the need to work hard and obey their parents. It also highlights the bad habit of telling lies and why good children should not lie. The rich culture of the new Yam Festival is shown. It is a time of thanksgiving to the good Lord for his great goodness, blessings, and mercies. It is a time of merriment with rich music and good food and exchange of visits between friends and families. The village square is the center of attraction, and people come from different parts of the villages to watch the dances, masquerades, local wrestling, and arts and crafts. The author wishes the children a happy reading and hope they will learn to be good, truthful, and obedient children.