A storybook biography of Nelson Mandela, written and illustrated by Cooper. The pictures convey Mandela"s character as he progresses from childhood--he is the son of an African chief--through the struggle to get a good education in apartheid-ridden South Africa, to his days as an activist for the African National Congress, and then as the most famous prisoner in the world, ending with his election as the first president of the new South Africa. Small children will not understand some of the historical references in the text, so help from teacher or parent will be required to add context for the child. The book offers an ideal story for such interaction.