Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
- This follow-up to Malaika's Costume is an uplifting story about immigration, family and community.
- An introduction to winter celebrations, and how children can maintain their own traditions while embracing new ones.
- Curriculum tie-ins: social studies (family and community traditions).
Synopsis
Malaika is happy to be reunited with Mummy, but it means moving to a different country, where everything is different. It's cold in her new city, no one understands when she talks and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home
When Mummy marries Mr. Frederic, Malaika gets a new sister called Adele. Her new family is nice, but Malaika misses Grandma. She has to wear a puffy purple coat, learn a new language and get used to calling this new place home. Things come to a head when Mummy and Mr. Frederic take Malaika and Adele to a carnival. Malaika is dismayed that there are no colorful costumes and that it's nothing like Carnival at home in the Caribbean She is so angry that she kicks over Adele's snow castle, but that doesn't make her feel any better. It takes a video chat with Grandma to help Malaika see the good things about her new home and family.
Nadia L. Hohn's prose, written in a light Caribbean patois, tells a warm story about the importance of family, especially when adjusting to a new home. Readers of the first Malaika book will want to find out what happens when she moves away from home, and will enjoy seeing Malaika and her family once again depicted through Irene Luxbacher's colorful collage illustrations.