In OKPAI TALE the sequel to Noodlephant, we find out what happens when the Phantastic Noodler falls into the wrong hands.
Now that the Phantastic Noodler is public property, Beaston is the perfect place for pasta parties. Creatures flock from far and wide. But things take a turn when a wealthy Okapi-talist sees an investment opportunity. With privatization come monopoly, exploitation, pollution, and poverty. As for Noodlephant, she’s off in Asia, sampling noodles. Will her friends be able to reclaim their town? Will Noodlephant ever return? And how will Beaston resolve the age-old question: To whom does the Noodler belong? Read on for a tale of politics, power, and . . . pasta!
“ The Full Current Affairs Stamp of Recommendation”
Listen to K-Fai Steele and I talk about Okapi Tale with the editors of Current Affairs Magazine
“This follow-up to NOODLEPHANT is just as delightful and thought-provoking as the first book. A sly take on the evils of capitalism (or Okapitalism, if you will), OKAPI TALE imagines a world in which collective resistance builds an equal and just community—with free pasta for everyone! Kids have a natural sense of what is fair and right, and this book packages its message cleverly without talking down to its audience. A perfect balance of wacky and insightful.”
-Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
OKAPI TALE named one of the 2020’s “Best books for Young Readers” by Penn GSE’s Humanizing Stories group. These are “books that move us beyond cycles of systemic harm and marginalization. These books, by their very existence, offer a hopeful vision of a more inclusive and just future world.”