Malaika's Surprise

February 15, 2021
Once again, Malaika's life is changing, but Hohn and Luxbacher remain consistent in delivering an intimate and culturally rich picture book. There's a new girl in the neighborhood, and Malaika's mother is pregnant, but readers first find Malaika and her stepsister, Ad�le, dressed in familiar favorites--ornate masks and colorful capes--and ready for traditional West Indian carnival-inspired play. Like Malaika, readers will love the vibrant and glistening costumes that Luxbacher's gouaches and pastels continue to enliven. Still, the blend of colors and found paper collage notably highlights the blended "brown and pink family" developing around Caribbean-born Malaika: her Afro-Caribbean mother, her White French-Canadian father, her rosy-cheeked White stepsister, and her soon-to-arrive biracial baby brother. In this third series outing, Hohn is firmly in her element, continuing the story of the little girl from the Caribbean acclimating to her new home in Canada, but the introduction of another little brown girl, Malayka M., who is also "from a far place" and whom our Malaika quickly befriends, explores new avenues of cultural and linguistic plurality. A brief glossary in the frontmatter provides an overview of key French, Caribbean, and Arabic terms readers will encounter throughout the story, which is endearingly narrated in Malaika's own patois-inflected voice. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Newborn �mile surely surprises big sister Malaika, but the warm, culturally attuned storytelling here meets all expectations. (Picture book. 3-7)

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April 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-Change can be difficult, but with loved ones nearby, new does not have to feel intimidating. Stepsisters Malaika and Ad�le love dressing up and listening to soca music as they play carnival in the summer sunshine. Their blended family-Ad�le is a redhead with pale skin like her father, although he has brown hair, and Malaika and her mother have dark brown skin and natural hair-has a loving balance. When Malaika learns a baby sibling is on the way, she is not sure she is ready for yet another change, and worries that her mother will forget her. A new friend has moved in next door who lends support to Malaika as her family grows, reminding her that love will still surround her when the baby arrives. Collage-style illustrations iconic to the Malaika book series are used in this third installment, as well. Bright, rich colors appear on every page, reminding readers of the visuals inherent to the time of carnival, and a blend of textures and smooth lines give the images depth. The other characters in this story range from very dark like Malaika, her mother, and her grandmother, to very light, like her Papa Fred and stepsister Ad�le. Family photos adorn the walls of Malaika's home and her classroom, reinforcing the importance of family, no matter what it happens to look like. Woven into the story are a handful of Arabic and French words that add richness to the narrative and are defined at the beginning. VERDICT It takes many generous souls to get through all the changes in life, as demonstrated in this essential, lovely story of opening one's heart to new people. An enjoyable, feel-good read for young children.-Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.

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