Chasing the Ball, Finding Ghana

In Chasing the Ball, Finding Ghana, young soccer enthusiast Kwesi and his American friend Jamal embark on an exciting adventure through the streets of Accra. What starts as a friendly game of street football turns into a journey of discovery, as Jamal learns about Ghanaian culture, history, and traditions. Through lively storytelling, author Jude Osei introduces young readers to Ghana’s vibrant markets, delicious cuisine like jollof rice, the rich history of the Ashanti people, and the energetic beats of highlife music. Along the way, Jamal realizes that Ghana is more than just a place—it’s a home filled with warmth, family, and the universal language of soccer. Inspired by his love of soccer, family, and adventure, author Jude Osei shares a heartwarming story of friendship, culture, and the joy of discovering new places. This book is part of the new children’s book series Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture, an exciting partnership between Bexley Public Library and The Ohio State University. The 2024-2025 pilot program for this community-engaged initiative was supported through The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences Office of Engagement, Office of Academic Affairs Outreach and Engagement, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Humanities Institute, Center for Ethnic Studies, OSU Libraries, Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Themes “Archival Imaginations,” and Bexley Public Library. Bigger Than Me books are the culmination of a series of intergenerational heritage workshops on library research, oral history collection and narrative strategies hosted at the Bexley Public Library in 2024-2025 that brought children, their parents and extended families together to explore their own epic story.