Boys of Africa

Eric and Adam are two normal American boys-except they are growing up throughout Africa.

Even though their mother tries to keep their enthusiasm in check, the boys seek adventure in every single country they live. With a diplomat for a father, there's always somewhere new to go.

In a series of vignettes shared by their mother, author Linda Pierce Plues, the boys display a knack for making friends. The first one they meet in Kinshasa is a baby pigmy chimp, which they don't hesitate bringing home. They also run into other animals, including a chameleon that bites and holds onto Eric's nose. But nothing surprises their mother more than a giant rat that Adam hunts down in Abidjan.

The boys' exploits go beyond the imaginable, including a harrowing, one-hundred-mile ride from the Kano airport to their new home in Kaduna, Nigeria. Most families would have turned right around and headed back to the United States, but the Plues family press on until they must say goodbye to their beloved African friends.