by Nadia L Hohn (Author) Irene Luxbacher (Illustrator)
Malaika learns about her father, who came to Canada as a migrant farm worker when she was just a baby and who shared her love of carnival.
Malaika dreams about a man with a basket of fruit and guesses that the dream is about her father. Mummy explains that her daddy passed away long ago, and Grandma decides it's time Malaika knew more about her father's life. The family drives to a far-off farm where they receive a warm welcome and visit the orchard where Malaika's father picked fruit. The farm workers tell Malaika that her daddy had always dreamed of celebrating carnival there, just like back home. Will Malaika agree to be their Carnival Queen for the harvest festival?
Nadia L. Hohn and Irene Luxbacher have created another compelling story about Malaika, who finds a way to cope with her sadness about her father through their shared love of carnival. Includes an author's note. Key Text Features dialogue glossary illustrations vignettes
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.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
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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
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