Mama's Nightingale

Robin Miles's deliberate pacing, lilting pronunciation of Haitian Creole words and phrases, and lovely singing voice complement Edwidge Danticat's wrenching story of the separation of an undocumented mother from her young child and husband. Saya's mother is in "a prison for women without papers." Although her father writes many letters to judges and journalists, there is no response to their plight; Saya must be content with weekly visits and tape-recorded bedtime stories sent by her mother. One day Saya writes a letter herself, and the injustice of her mother's predicament is noticed. While there's no reading of the title page and barely enough time is given for page-turning, this production can also be enjoyed along with the print edition featuring Leslie Staub's color-drenched illustrations. S.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine