Review by Booklist Review
In this second book about Lali (Lali's Feather, 2022), the South Asian girl is on her way to market with money she has earned doing chores. Along the way, she passes Hen, Goat, and Bird, each of whom asks Lali to purchase items for them. In response, "Lali didn't say yes. She didn't say no." Meanwhile, a cumulative onomatopoeic refrain informs readers that the path is uncomfortable on the girl's bare feet: "Puff-puff flew dust. Wibble-wibble wobbled stone. Dhup-dhup went Lali's feet on the twisty-curvy, dusty path." Fittingly, Lali spends her money on flip-flops to make her walk more pleasant. However, upon witnessing her friends' disappointment that she didn't get their requested items, the girl makes amends and is awarded with tea and cake. Coleman's cheerful, digitally-rendered illustrations are brightly hued, and the repetition and sound effects make this tale a good contender for storytimes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A South Asian girl earns money to buy herself a pair of flip-flops. Lali spends a busy morning cooking and building a fire. When she's done working, a man hands her money. As she walks off, the "twisty-curvy path" hurts her bare feet. She encounters several of her animal friends, who make demands--a hen wants Lali to buy her lentils, a goat desires berries, and a bird needs ribbons to decorate a nest. At the market, Lali purchases flip-flops for her aching feet but doesn't fill her friends' requests. When she returns, the animals wail in distress, claiming that Lali has forgotten them and "let [them] down." In response, Lali goes back to earn more money, fighting her hunger as she works, and later returns to the market. She buys gifts for her animal friends, who reward her with a picnic. As in Zia and Coleman's previous book, Lali's Feather (2020), the text has a playful lyricism driven by clever use of onomatopoeia accompanied by warm, appealing illustrations. However, it's never clear why such a young girl is working--and, indeed, performing tasks unsafe for children, like building fires and handling heavy equipment. Equally troubling is the message that Lali was wrong to consider her own needs and that her friends' well-being is more important than her own. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A visually and textually engaging tale with a concerning takeaway. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
