Bestselling "Akiti the Hunter" Series Launches National and International Push to Open Libraries
The Californer/10356781

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Californer -- DANVILLE, Calif. — BAPS Animation Studio and author Bolaji Ajayi (Denise Mobolaji-Ajayi Williams) today announced an expanded national and international library outreach initiative for the acclaimed Akiti the Hunter series — America's first African superhero franchise, rooted in Yoruba mythology and African storytelling traditions.

The campaign, dubbed the 77 Countries Library Challenge, invites public, school, and academic librarians across the United States and around the world to bring Akiti the Hunter into their collections.

The number reflects a milestone already achieved: akitithehunter.com has drawn readers from 77 countries, and the series is now available to libraries everywhere through the Libby app by OverDrive — the platform used by thousands of public library systems nationwide and internationally.

A Series with Momentum

• Amazon Top 5 Bestseller in Children's Trickster Tales eBooks — Part I (#3) and Part III (#4) — with Part III also reaching #1 New Release, sustained organically over multiple weeks.
• Library availability: Parts II and III are listed on OverDrive/Libby, the digital lending platform used by public libraries nationwide and internationally. The series has also been selected for the Indie California statewide digital library collection (via BiblioBoard), providing free access to every California public library cardholder, and has been recognized by the Indie Author Project.
• Existing Bay Area holdings include the San Francisco Public Library: https://youtube.com/shorts/ujcJXzT-oLw?is=MNwupQS9Ql7r-jD7, Oakland Public Library: https://youtube.com/shorts/ogy_51BF6yo?is=yzHPL6pPnpIgzvXW, and San José Public Library, where the complete trilogy is available as eBooks.
• Institutional recognition from the Library of Congress, Harvard University Coop, the NAACP Author's Pavilion, and TeachingBooks.net, which hosts five curriculum resources tied to the series.
• International reach already underway through outreach to bookstores in Japan and Paris, alongside a European author tour spanning London, Berlin and Amsterdam.

The Ask

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The 77 Countries Library Challenge invites libraries, educators, and booksellers to:

• Add the Akiti the Hunter series (Parts I–III, with Part IV forthcoming) to their digital or print collections via OverDrive/Libby, Ingram, or direct order.

https://www.overdrive.com/creators/2702125/bola...

• Host an author visit, classroom workshop, or storytime event.
• Sponsor copies of the series for underserved schools and community libraries.

This initiative sits within a broader literacy mission: a commitment to donate one million books to one million children worldwide, through African Library Project, Book Aid International, Soma Safari Project, the Okada Children's Book Festival, and the Ajayi Foundation.