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Children's Fiction Caribbean & Latin America

Malaika’s Winter Carnival

by (author) Nadia L. Hohn

illustrated by Irene Luxbacher

Publisher
Groundwood Books Ltd
Initial publish date
Sep 2017
Category
Caribbean & Latin America, General, Emigration & Immigration
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554989201
    Publish Date
    Sep 2017
    List Price
    $18.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781773066547
    Publish Date
    Sep 2017
    List Price
    $10.99

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 3 to 7
  • Grade: p to 2
  • Reading age: 3 to 7

Description

When Malaika moves to Canada, there’s a lot to get used to, especially Carnival in the wintertime!

Malaika is happy to be reunited with Mummy, but it means moving to Canada, where everything is different. It’s cold in Québec City, no one understands when she talks and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home!

When Mummy marries Mr. Frédéric, Malaika gets a new sister called Adèle. Her new family is nice, but Malaika misses Grandma. She has to wear a puffy purple coat, learn a new language and get used to calling this new place home. Things come to a head when Mummy and Mr. Frédéric take Malaika and Adèle to a carnival. Malaika is dismayed that there are no colorful costumes and that it’s nothing like Carnival at home in the Caribbean! She is so angry that she kicks over Adèle’s snow castle, but that doesn’t make her feel any better. It takes a video chat with Grandma to help Malaika see the good things about her new home and family.

Nadia L. Hohn’s prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, tells a warm story about the importance of family, especially when adjusting to a new home. Readers of the first Malaika book will want to find out what happens when she moves to Canada, and will enjoy seeing Malaika and her family once again depicted through Irene Luxbacher’s colorful collage illustrations.

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.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

About the authors

NADIA L. HOHN is a writer and educator. Her first picture book, Malaika’s Costume, won the Helen Isobel Sissons Canadian Children’s Story Award and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Children’s Literature Award. She is also the author of Malaika’s Winter Carnival and Malaika’s Surprise, both illustrated by Irene Luxbacher; A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes; Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter, illustrated by Gustavo Mazali; and two titles in the Sankofa series — Music and Media. Nadia’s writing is inspired by her childhood memories, Jamaican heritage, Black culture, world travels, and social issues. She lives in Toronto.

 

Nadia L. Hohn's profile page

IRENE LUXBACHER est à la fois auteure, illustratrice et artiste. Elle a publié de nombreux livres d’activités artistiques et albums jeunesse dont Le jardin imaginaire de grand-papa, d’Andrew Larsen, mis en nomination pour le Prix du Gouverneur général dans la catégorie illustrations. Irene habite à Toronto où elle travaille actuellement à la création de nouveaux tableaux et albums.

 

IRENE LUXBACHER was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for her illustrations in Andrew Larsen’sThe Imaginary Garden (Le jardin imaginaire de grand-papa). She has illustrated several other picture books, including Mittens to Share (Une mitaine pour deux), The Heart’s Song (Le grand cœur de madame Lili), as well as her own picture books Once I Was a Bear (Lorsque j’étais un ours…) and Mattoo, Let’s Play! (Viens jouer, Matou!). She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and young son. You can learn more about her work at www.ireneluxbacher.com.

Irene Luxbacher's profile page

Awards

  • Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Books List

Editorial Reviews

Luxbacher’s stunning mixed-media collage illustrations surround Hohn’s lilting narrative with color, texture, and sensitivity.

Booklist

Hohn contrasts Caribbean and Canadian cultures tenderly, with deep understanding of both, and she and Luxbacher have created a sweet, immersive and loving book that will benefit both young new arrivals to a country and those just meeting them.

Kirkus Reviews

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