Some people have dresses for every occasion but Afiya needs only one. Her dress records the memories of her childhood, from roses in bloom to pigeons in flight, from tigers at the zoo to October leaves falling. A joyful celebration of a young girl’s childhood, written by the late Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning Jamaican poet James Berry.
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James was a celebrated Jamaican poet, living in the UK. Winner of multiple awards including the Coretta Scott King Book Award and the Smarties Grand Prix, he was awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to poetry. He passed away in 2017. (Photo credit Hazel Johnson.)
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Anna is an award-winning Brazilian artist who has illustrated more than 20 books. Her work has been shortlisted for the Jabuti Prize and received a João-de-Barro Prize honourable mention.
Winner of the Northern Lights Picture Book of the Year Award 2020
USBBY Outstanding International Books 2021
New York Times, 25 Best Children's Books of 2020
Kate Greenaway Medal Nomination 2021
A Guardian Children's Book of the Month 2020
A Story About Afiya by James Berry & Anna Cunha | Read by Hannah Carmona
“A joyous celebration of childhood, culture and place”
-The New York Times
“A unique and beautiful combination of poetic story and expressive art”
-Kirkus Reviews
“An exquisite celebration of the simple magic of childhood”
-Shelf Awareness