Dreams for a Daughter

January 11, 2021
“As I cradle you, look in your eyes,/ the ancestors peer back at me./ Your gaze says softly,/ I want to know everything.” A Black mother follows her maturing daughter from infanthood in Weather-
ford’s (Unspeakable) heartfelt lines. The parent underlines hope for inner resolve (Though I long to pave your way,/ I marvel as you follow/ your own compass”), curiosity and education (“Books will carry you far”), self-knowledge (“Trust your mind/ and your gut”), and more in a journey that Pinkney (Time for Kenny) animates with sweeping swirls of color behind the figures of mother and daughter—lemon-yellow halos, the green wave of a hill, and stars radiating whorls of energy. The speaker promises to advocate for her daughter (“You are my champion and I am yours”) while foreseeing the day the child strikes out on her own. Most important, she says, “speak truth even if no one seems to be listening.” The pages give readers a compass for their own growth by modeling a loving parent’s dreams for her child. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

February 1, 2021
A Black mother's wishes and dreams for her lively, bright-eyed, growing daughter. Brought to life by Pinkney's now-signature brushy, colorful illustrations with bold ink lines, this lyrical expression of hope opens with a mother holding her baby while the two gaze into each other's eyes. The mother sees the ancestors looking back at her when she looks at her child. Impressed by her baby's curiosity, the mother continues to support, love, and encourage her daughter as she takes her first steps, learns to bike, starts school, learns to read, and more. As the daughter develops strong self-confidence, the mother exhorts her to stand by her ideas and always speak truth. The mother expects her child to travel the world, and as she does so, to show kindness to others. The lines that often swirl around this brown-skinned girl suggest that she stays in perpetual motion, and the prominence of yellows, oranges, and reds that often accompany her image hint at her sunny disposition and positivity. When the mother can't watch over her daughter, she is "trusting God / to keep Her eyes / on you." In this illustration, a rayed, yellow celestial face with African features could be the sun or the mother or God--possibilities that may bring up interesting conversations about the worldview portrayed in this book. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30.9% of actual size.) A beautifully illustrated, uplifting tribute to Black girls and to the mothers who love them boundlessly. (Picture book. 3-7)

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