0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside

    Moja Means One

    Swahili Counting Book

    Author Muriel Feelings
    Illustrated by Tom Feelings
    Look inside
    Paperback
    $8.99 US
    Penguin Young Readers | Puffin Books
    10.5"W x 8.5"H x 0.14"D  
    On sale Aug 15, 1992 | 32 Pages | 9780140546620
    Up to Kindergarten
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    A Caldecott Honor Book

    Moja Means One     introduces children to counting in Swahili with helpful pronunciation keys, while presenting East African culture and lifestyles through an easy-to-understand narrative and vivid illustrations.  

    “Magnificient, full-page drawings throb with the feeling of East African life.”—Child Study Association

    Look for the Caldecott Honor Book and companion title: Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book
    Muriel Feelings was a children's author and educator born in Philadelphia in 1938. After earning her degree in art with minors in Spanish and education, she taught in Northwest Philadelphia and New York City, where she joined the Organization for Afro-America Unity and was given the chance to teach for two years in Kampala, Uganda. Upon her return, she married fellow artist and illustrator Tom Feelings, with whom she wrote two books, Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book and Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. Both titles become Caldecott Honor books and received a number of honors from the likes of the Pennsylvania State Library Association and the American Library Association. She died in 2011 in Philadelphia. View titles by Muriel Feelings
    Tom Feelings has received numerous awards for his art in books. In 1972, he was the first African-American artist to win a Caldecott Honor, for Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book, and in 1975 he won a second Caldecott Honor for Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book, both written by Muriel Feelings. Mr. Feelings taught art at the University of South Carolina. It was during that time he published perhaps his best-known work, The Middle Passage, which won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. Mr. Feelings was working on finishing his last picture book, I Saw Your Face, a collaboration with the poet Kwame Dawes, not long before his death in 2003. View titles by Tom Feelings
    • WINNER
      Caldecott Honor Book

    About

    A Caldecott Honor Book

    Moja Means One     introduces children to counting in Swahili with helpful pronunciation keys, while presenting East African culture and lifestyles through an easy-to-understand narrative and vivid illustrations.  

    “Magnificient, full-page drawings throb with the feeling of East African life.”—Child Study Association

    Look for the Caldecott Honor Book and companion title: Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book

    Author

    Muriel Feelings was a children's author and educator born in Philadelphia in 1938. After earning her degree in art with minors in Spanish and education, she taught in Northwest Philadelphia and New York City, where she joined the Organization for Afro-America Unity and was given the chance to teach for two years in Kampala, Uganda. Upon her return, she married fellow artist and illustrator Tom Feelings, with whom she wrote two books, Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book and Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. Both titles become Caldecott Honor books and received a number of honors from the likes of the Pennsylvania State Library Association and the American Library Association. She died in 2011 in Philadelphia. View titles by Muriel Feelings
    Tom Feelings has received numerous awards for his art in books. In 1972, he was the first African-American artist to win a Caldecott Honor, for Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book, and in 1975 he won a second Caldecott Honor for Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book, both written by Muriel Feelings. Mr. Feelings taught art at the University of South Carolina. It was during that time he published perhaps his best-known work, The Middle Passage, which won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. Mr. Feelings was working on finishing his last picture book, I Saw Your Face, a collaboration with the poet Kwame Dawes, not long before his death in 2003. View titles by Tom Feelings

    Awards

    • WINNER
      Caldecott Honor Book

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources
    General

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month and addressing student wellness and mental health is critical to help children learn how to manage emotions, develop healthy identities, empathize with peers, and pursue individual goals. We created thematic guides and book lists to help foster important conversations to build an inclusive environment where emotions matter. Explore our social emotional

    Read more

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    General
    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Book covers: 9780593699058 ROAR (PYR) 9780593902813 BING’S CHERRIES (RHCB) 9780241743751 A KID’S BOOK ABOUT FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANTS (DK) 9781774882009 BROKEN (Tundra)
    English Language Arts Social Studies & History

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. AANHPI Creators – Elementary School titles  

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    English Language Arts Social Studies & History

    Penguin Random House Elementary Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)