Nafu Wants Food: An Interview with Author Subi Bosa

Set in a fantasy land inspired by the architecture of Burkina Faso, West Africa, Nafu Wants Food by Subi Bosa is a graphic novel perfect for developing readers. Nafu is Mongo Village’s resident monster and protector, so the villagers happily give Nafu all the food they want. But after greedily gobbling up the last of it, Nafu heads into the desert in search of new and exciting things to eat. Instead, Nafu gets lost, their limbs fall off, and they start to shrink more and more each day. Can Nafu find their way home, or will someone make a meal out of Nafu?

This fable-like story is heavily influenced by African folklore and explores generosity, selfishness, and what it means to be a protector. Author and illustrator Subi Bosa joins us today to share his love of graphic novels, his journey to becoming an illustrator, and more. Read on for an exclusive sneak peek into the story!

Did you enjoy comics when you were a kid?

Comics have always been very important to me. However, I didn’t really buy comics. I would draw my own stories and create cut-out paper people and play with them. It was only when I decided to illustrate full-time that I started building my extensive comic book collection.

What influenced you to become an author-illustrator?

I have always loved drawing and coming up with stories. I also had to learn for myself, how to prioritize my strengths and interests and where I add the most value in my community, and at the center of that Venn diagram is author illustrator.

What was your inspiration for Nafu Wants Food?

I was inspired by the idea of “feeding our own monsters” and wanted to portray a monster that stops being fed. What happens to its monstrosity? Does it all fall away? If we starve the monster, does it change? Those are the questions that inspired the story of Nafu.

What surprised you most while writing the book?

Telling stories with only words requires a writer to really spend time knowing the characters’ thoughts, what surprised me the most is how I began revealing characters’ intentions and personalities after I sketched them. I even changed characters roles in the story because of one sketch that revealed their true journey for the world of the story. That really surprised me.

What do you hope readers will discover from reading your book?

I expect the readers to experience this book as a fun, quirky story about a character seeking redemption and forgiveness. But I truly hope they discover that they themselves can tell stories at the level they’re at.

Take a Sneak Peek

Praise for Nafu Wants Food

“Brightly colored, thick-lined artwork and large format panels help tell this fable-like story of an unexpected hero and the consequences of greed. South African cartoonist Bosa’s thoughtful pacing and layout, as well as some well-timed jokes, make this a strong choice for elementary-schoolers just getting into comics.”—Booklist

“The strength of this graphic novel lies in the unique nature of the illustrations and their connection to African folklore while breaking tradition in the construction of typical graphic novel panels. . . a unique monster story that stands out from other graphic novels.”—School Library Journal

Free Educator Resources

Download the free activity guide to enhance the learning experience! This guide can also be found on the Lerner website.

Connect with the author

Subi Bosa is an author and illustrator currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. After studying architecture he realized his passion was in illustration. He began working as a freelancer, partnering with self-publishing authors worldwide while studying graphic design at the Academy of Digital Arts in Cape Town. In 2020, Subi was awarded a Mo Siewcharran Publisher’s Prize for Illustration. He has illustrated picture books, comics and graphic novels.