Making happy

Leila's class is doing a "How Can I Help?" project, but she's not interested in participating; instead, she feels down and worries about Mama, who now sleeps a lot and wears wigs and scarves. All Leila wants is "to make the sick go away" and for things--and Mama--to get better. But despite her efforts, like straightening her room and doing homework without prompting, she's sometimes frustrated, disheartened, and sad. Then Papa suggests they "make some happy" with music, dancing, and more with Mama. That night, Leila dreams of freeing a bird entangled in seaweed, and though it's still hurt, it flies away, singing. Leila wakes encouraged and with a class project idea that might comfort Mama, too. Beautiful mixed-media illustrations in muted jewel tones eloquently depict Leila's experiences and emotions, and the recurring images from Mama's beautiful scarves link the scenes together. Though Mama's condition goes unnamed, this offers a sympathetic, supportive portrayal of coping with a parent's illness, from how it can impact daily life and emotions to finding hope and resilience along the way.

All Leila wants is for her family to go back to normal. But Mama's wigs and scarves are as present as the sickness that surrounds her. Worse, nothing Leila does seems to make it go away, kind of like the sadness and anxiety that sit like an ache in her stomach. But Dad has an idea "to make some happy"--by making a big mess and dancing around the room--and Leila finds new ways of dealing with her jumbled-up feelings. Exploring the complexities that children grapple with when faced with illness in the family, this picture book is ultimately about finding little pockets of happiness. The book could help create a space to talk about illness with children while offering hope in the form of togetherness and empathy. Although the metaphors in the book feel unwieldy at times, the art more than compensates for it. Patterns twist and turn alongside Leila's feelings, weaving a stunning tapestry that finally blossoms onto the pages as Leila finds small moments of joy and understanding amid sadness. The use of color provides subtle cues to the transformation that Leila undergoes. In an author's note, Sheth states that she wrote the book while going through chemotherapy; in an illustrator's note, Le explains that with each book, she works digitally with traditional media and photography and attempts to "use fabrics related to the author's heritage." Leila and her family are brown-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A beautifully rendered story about courage in the face of turmoil. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.