Malaika's Costume

by Nadia L. Hohn, Irene Luxbacher

Overview

Malaika’s mother can’t buy her a carnival costume — will she still be able to dance in the parade?

It’s Carnival time. The first Carnival since Malaika’s mother moved to Canada to find a good job and provide for Malaika and her grandmother. Her mother promised she would send money for a costume, but when the money doesn’t arrive, will Malaika still be able to dance in the parade?

Disappointed and upset at her grandmother’s hand-me-down costume, Malaika leaves the house, running into Ms. Chin, the tailor, who offers Malaika a bag of scrap fabric. With her grandmother’s help, Malaika creates a patchwork rainbow peacock costume, and dances proudly in the parade.

A heartwarming story about family, community and the celebration of Carnival, Nadia Hohn’s warm and colloquial language and Irene Luxbacher’s vibrant collage-style illustrations make this a strikingly original picture book.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554987542
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Series:	The Malaika Series , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	469,621
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

NADIA L. HOHN is an award-winning writer and educator. Her picture books include, Malaika’s Costume, Malaika’s Winter Carnival and Malaika’s Surprise; A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes; Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter, illustrated by Gustavo Mazali; and two titles in the Sankofa series — Music and Media. Nadia’s writing is inspired by her childhood memories, Jamaican heritage, Black culture, world travels, and social issues. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

IRENE LUXBACHER is an artist and author living in Toronto, Ontario, who has received many awards for her work. She has written and illustrated Deep Underwater, an Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award finalist, and Mr. Frank, which was selected as a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her illustrations for the Malaika series by Nadia L. Hohn have been highly acclaimed, and her illustrations for The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award.

Editorial Reviews

. . . an engaging, poignant story with exquisite taste and wonderful details.

Kinderlit

Malaika’s Costume is a highly recommended story that celebrates the different cultures of the world and the emotional journey of a young child.

CM Magazine

This is actually a realistic portrait of the consequences of global immigration and economics. But it’s also the story of how much little girls love their moms. Beautiful.

Globe and Mail - Andrew Kaufman

The text is told in the colloquial voice of the little girl, and readers will quickly and easily feel a part of her circle. Carnival is an important holiday in many cultures, and it's good to have a picture book to celebrate it.

Horn Book

Like a rainbow peacock itself, the illustrations in this book burst with a frenzy of colors and textures.

Booklist Online

Hohn employs a unique style of voice that is both figuratively and literaly lyrical.

Canadian Children's Book News

Praise for author Nadia Hohn, illustrator Irene Luxbacher and Malaika’s Costume:

Commended TD Grade One Book Giveaway Selection, 2021
USBBY's Outstanding International Books List
Américas Award Honorable Mention
School Library Journal Best Picture Books
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
TD Summer Reading Club Recommended Read


"A wholly earned celebration." — Kirkus Reviews

"A fun choice for libraries seeking books about creativity in general or the Caribbean in particular." — School Library Journal

"Like a rainbow peacock itself, the illustrations in this book burst with a frenzy of colors and textures." — Booklist Online

"The text is told in the colloquial voice of the little girl, and readers will quickly and easily feel a part of her circle. Carnival is an important holiday in many cultures, and it's good to have a picture book to celebrate it." — Horn Book

"This is actually a realistic portrait of the consequences of global immigration and economics. But it’s also the story of how much little girls love their moms. Beautiful." — Globe and Mail

"Hohn employs a unique style of voice that is both figuratively and literaly lyrical." — Canadian Children's Book News

"Malaika’s Costume is a highly recommended story that celebrates the different cultures of the world and the emotional journey of a young child." — CM Magazine

". . . an engaging, poignant story with exquisite taste and wonderful details." — Kinderlit

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Lacking money for a new costume, a girl and her grandmother must use their ingenuity to repurpose and repair an old outfit and make it extra special for the Kiddie Carnival Parade. The first-person text is printed against a background of lined paper, and the wordless last page shows Malaika's mother—away working in Canada—thoroughly enjoying the letter and pictures she has received. Malaika and those in her Caribbean community speak a lightly lilting patois, and terms like kaiso and cassava are defined in a small glossary on the copyright page. Bright, stylized mixed-media illustrations burst with colors, patterns, and layers and hew closely to the lively text. Occasional highly pixelated areas slightly distract from otherwise vibrant scenes of Carnival costumes and multicultural rural life. VERDICT A fun choice for libraries seeking books about creativity in general or the Caribbean in particular.—Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
Hohn's debut children's book explores Caribbean culture as it follows Malaika on her determined path to creating her dream carnival costume. Malaika fills with excitement when she thinks about her carnival costume and dancing with the other children. If only Mummy could fly home from Canada to witness it. With no money sent from the north, Malaika begins to lose hope that her costume will be made at all. Luckily Granny's resourcefulness and Malaika's quick thinking bring a beautiful costume to life. Highly saturated folk-art imagery captures the warmth and vibrancy of the islands. Luxbacher's collage style lends itself to a child's perspective, depicting only what is relevant to Malaika. Doodles on lined paper in the corners and outer edges of the pages suggest that Malaika writes to her mother constantly and serve as indicators of Malaika's moods. The Caribbean dialect rhythmically carries the story forward without losing readers not familiar with it. Hohn's story teaches readers a bit of Caribbean culture while focusing on the emotional turmoil of a child separated from her parent; the juxtaposition of a heavy, serious topic with a lighthearted, joyous cultural activity balances the mood. The story ends on a high note, with a bonus panel on the final page that parents will enjoy. A wholly earned celebration. (glossary) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews