Summary
The story follows a little girl Afiya as she navigates her days. Afiya begins each day in her white dress and every experience and memory she makes becomes imprinted onto her dress. The illustrations are captivating as Afiya’s white dress is the perfect pairing with her beautiful dark skin and big brown eyes. Even after Afiya washes her dress the memories are untouched until she awakes the next morning prepared to decorate the blank canvas again.
Theme(s):
Imagination, Self-esteem, Discovery
Personal Response
This is a beautifully written story about a young girl using her imagination to decorate her dress. The illustrator has Afiya drawn with beautiful bantu knots and contrasting colors of clothing and skin. The imaginative journey that Afiya goes on shows her as strong, brave and independent. Afiya travels through wildlife and different landscapes alone as she embraces the beauty around her. This is a great feel good book to be read at any point in time.
Teaching Ideas
This is a great self-esteem building book. Afiya is independent and navigates her journey alone collecting memories and details from her surroundings. This can be implemented at the beginning of the school year to teach confidence and self-esteem. This also attests to how some people may only own one article of clothing, but is still special and able to create memories. Afiya gets to wear her dress daily as she earns new designs this could be a testament to those who have traditional garments.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
