Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa - Traditional Literature

This is a book of little poems and rhymes the author made up, and they have a very authentic feel.  There is a glossary with unfamiliar words in the back of the book, which is nice because there are several words that are traditionally African and would be unfamiliar.  Some examples are the iroko and the baobob, two types of trees students would be unfamiliar with since they are native to Africa.  My favorite part of the book is the introduction where the author explains what the "talking" drum was, and this sets a fun context for these rhymes.  This would be implemented in the class as a read aloud for a unit about folk traditions throughout the world.