A Story About Afiya

March 1, 2020
A young girl wears a special white dress that records her day's experiences in this story by Jamaican poet Berry. Afiya's "fine black skin...shows off her white clothes," a summer dress that she wears every day and washes every night. By day, the "frock" picks up images of whatever Afiya passes among--sunflowers, red roses, butterflies, animals, fish, or falling leaves. By night, the imprints stay when she washes her dress, but in the morning, her dress is white again, ready for new patterns and colors to impress themselves upon it. Afiya is "amazed" at the wonders she finds on her dress, and readers will be amazed at the beauty of Cunha's artistic rendering. Afiya's hair surrounds her head like a crown, and the fantastical colors of her natural world, landscapes dominated by muted pinks, blues, and burnt yellow, all serve to enhance the beauty of Afiya's dark skin. The spare, matte illustrations offer a feast of images to set the imagination soaring while the surreal story and its unusual language turn the wheels of the mind. A unique and beautiful combination of poetic story and expressive art. (Picture book. 3-8)

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