Checking Availibility...Description
When Malaika finds out she is going to have a new baby brother or sister, she worries that her mother will forget about her. But a surprise arrives on Malaika's birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family's love.
It's summertime, and Malaika and Adèle are enjoying playing carnival in their bright costumes, dancing and laughing in the sunshine. But when Mummy announces that they will soon have a new baby brother or sister, Malaika is unsure how to feel about another change in her family. Will Mummy forget about me?
Back at school, Malaika is excited to see her teacher and classmates, and makes friends with a new girl who has recently arrived from a faraway country, just like Malaika. Then on her birthday, a surprise arrives to remind Malaika of the importance of family, and the story ends with a celebration of her family's love.
Malaika's Surprise is filled with the same warmth and charm as the first two books in the series, with Nadia L. Hohn's enchanting prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, and Irene Luxbacher's colorful collage illustrations.
Key Text Features
glossary
key text features
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
About this Author
Nadia L. Hohn is a writer, educator, musician and artist. Her first picture book, Malaika's Costume, won the Helen Isobel Sissons Canadian Children's Story Award and the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Children's Literature Award. She is also the author of Malaika's Winter Carnival, A Likkle Miss Lou, Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter and two titles in the Sankofa series, Music and Media Studies. Nadia's writing is inspired by her childhood memories, Afro-Jamaican heritage, world travels and social issues.
Irene Luxbacher is an artist and author living in Toronto. With more than fifteen years' experience as an illustrator, Irene has received many awards for her children's books. She has written and illustrated Deep Underwater ("Masterful artwork and nuanced verse" --Kirkus, starred review) and Mr. Frank, which was selected for the USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List. Her illustrations for Malaika's Costume and Malaika's Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn have also been highly acclaimed, and her illustrations for The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen were shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award.
Reviews
[A]n intimate and culturally rich picture book.
[A] joyful read.
A warm portrayal of a loving, close-knit community.
[T]his picture book celebrates the expansion of a family we've grown to love.
An enjoyable, feel-good read for young children.
Malaika's beautiful interracial family and new friendships make this story a powerful one.
Malaika's Surprise offers a refreshing new sibling narrative ... [the] joyful, textured illustrations are busy and inviting, like the other titles in this series, and the blend of English and Caribbean patois makes Malaika's voice sing.
Much of our lives, like Malaika's, involves change and a newness of circumstances. But what Malaika's Surprise demonstrates is that, though newness and change can be stressful because of the anticipation of the unknown, the reality is often not as bad as expected, especially with the knowledge that others care.
Mailaka's Surprise celebrates culture, friendship and family in a captivating, warm way.
Written in a combination of standard English and Caribbean patois, Hohn's work celebrates family values and acceptance of cultural diversity. Bright and lively illustrations by Irene Luxbacher add to the book's attraction.
Hohn's mastery of the craft command[s] a standing ovation.
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