Adjoa Andoh to narrate Chibundu Onuzo’s debut children’s book

Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh has been announced as the narrator of Chibundu Onuzo’s debut children’s book, Mayowa and the Sea of Words (Bloomsbury Children’s Books).

"Mayowa can book jump," the synopsis says. "By jumping on a book, she can harness the emotions inside it and channel them directly into other people. And when the opportunity to use her power to save the lives of countless refugees presents itself, Mayowa wants to jump in with both feet. But Mayowa and her grandpa aren’t the only book jumpers in existence – and not everybody wants to use this power for good."

Publishing simultaneously in hardback, e-book and audiobook in June 2024, Mayowa and the Sea of Words will be supported by a "wide-reaching" marketing and PR strategy, with early copies released for Indie Bookshop Week, held between 15th and 22nd June. Bloomsbury has partnered with PR agency Media Hive and will be offering signed copies and a special illustrated window of the cover to bookshops. The author is also scheduled to take part in a schools and events programme for children across the country. 

"I wrote this book because I like adventures and I like girls having adventures," Onuzo said. "Most of the adventure stories I read as a child had white children at the centre of the narrative. I […] would have loved to read an adventure story where the main character was called Mayowa. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, I knew many Mayowas. I did not know many Annes, or Katies, or Heidis."

As a performance artist, as well as a writer, Onuzo will release an official single for Mayowa and the Sea of Words, "Love Lives Here", to coincide with publication on 20th June. "It’s the song Mayowa would sing to her friend Hamza, who arrived in England as a refugee after a long and perilous journey," the author said. "She would reassure him, ’Love lives here, no matter if you’re far or near. You’re never alone, trust me you can always come home’."