The Backward Walk

Sometimes courage moves backward.

Every morning, Elikem watches the fishing boats push out onto Keta Lagoon. The water is beautiful—but she is afraid to enter it.

With Tanti Afi beside her, Elikem hears how her Anlo-Ewe ancestors used a backward walk to escape danger. Their ingenuity becomes an invitation: courage does not have to be loud, lonely or forced. Sometimes it begins with a story, two steady hands and one chosen step.

The Backward Walk is a warm, culturally grounded picture book about family, trust and discovering that bravery can move in unexpected directions.

Made for reading together

For families, classrooms and libraries seeking an emotionally safe story of courage, Ghanaian heritage and intergenerational care. Recommended for ages 4–8 and for read-aloud conversations about fear, trust and family memory.

For schools, libraries and community groups

Invite young readers into the world of Keta Lagoon through a culturally specific story with themes that travel: supported courage, family storytelling and learning from history.

From Little Lagoon Press

The opening title in Keta Lagoon Kids, a children’s series rooted in Ghanaian childhood, Anlo-Ewe heritage and stories families can carry across generations.