Malaika, carnival queen

PreS-Gr 1--In the fourth book about Malaika, she dreams about a man with a basket of fruit and correctly assumes it is her father, who has passed away. Her mother explains that her father was an agricultural worker who came to Canada to earn money for his family; at the time, they lived in another country. Her grandmother decides that it is time for Malaika to learn more about her father. What follows is a heartwarming story as Malaika journeys to where her father used to work and learns about their shared love of Carnival. A celebration of Carnival at the farm concludes the book. The illustrations paint a vivid picture as colors pop from the page; Luxbacher works in shapes that hover between torn tissue paper and sun-touched stained glass. Hohn includes a glossary of French words and an author's note to provide more information about agricultural workers. VERDICT Purchase where other books in the series circulate or for units on Carnival or migrant workers.--Maria Graybosch

A Black Canadian girl is curious about the father she never knew. Malaika tells her mother and her grandmother about how she dreamed of a man with a basket of fruit. She soon learns that her father was a migrant worker who came to Canada before the rest of the family did but became sick and died here. The family travels to the farm where her father used to work. The farmworkers tell Malaika that he wanted to have a parade, "like back home," and ask her to lead the Carnival parade in his honor. She puts up flyers asking others in their neighborhood to donate "pieces of cloth that remind you of home," and together Malaika and Grandma create a gorgeous Carnival flag. Malaika appears to be part of a blended family, with a White-presenting French Canadian stepfather, Papa Fred, and stepsister, Adele; her mother and grandmother are Black. Though Malaika's family's country of origin isn't mentioned, in an author's note Hohn mentions her grandfather, a seasonal worker in the United States who died before returning home to Jamaica. The themes of immigrant communities, loving and supportive blended families, and finding ways to honor tradition and community shine brilliantly in this picture book. The illustrations, a combination of gouache and soft pastels, have a hazy look--ideal for bringing to life the child's dreams of her father and showing how he's still with her, no matter what. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A lovely story that intertwines a girl's past and present into an honest reflection of her family. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.