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Written by JAMES BERRY | Illustrated by ANNA CUNHA
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.
Northern Lights Book Awards Picture Book of the Year
USBBY Outstanding International Books 2021
New York Times, 25 Best Children's Books of 2020
A Guardian Children's Book of the Month
'A joyous celebration of childhood, culture and place' – The New York Times
'A book to treasure' – Books for Keeps, 5 STARS
'An exquisite celebration of the simple magic of childhood' – Shelf Awareness
'Gorgeous' – School Library Journal
'A unique and beautiful combination of poetic story and expressive art' – Kirkus Reviews
'Anna Cunha has reimagined the poem and created an enchanting fantasy landscape for Afiya's adventures. A wonderful weaving together of two imaginations' – Myra Barrs
‘The story of Afiya’ stopped me in my tracks as soon as I saw it. The front cover alone is so beautiful and I couldn’t wait to see what was inside.
The illustrations are the first thing you’ll notice. Any one of them would look beautiful framed on a wall and the earthy colours give the book a really calming and peaceful feel (it’s perfect for a bedtime story). The story itself is by celebrated Jamaican poet James Berry and is magical and mysterious in equal parts. There’s plenty of room for discussion about what is happening with Afiya’s dress but at the same time her experiences will be familiar to children all around the world.
I have seen this book feature a few times in my feed recently and there’s a good reason for that- it’s quite simply one of the most stunning books I’ve seen for ages. Completely different in style and design from anything on my bookshelves and with an enigmatic story that leaves the readers to think about what the author is sharing with us. We loved reading it.
“A story about Afiya” is a lovely hardback book with gorgeous illustrations and interesting narrative.
It’s so refreshing to find books with diverse characters and such lovely creative illustrations.
This was a gift to a 10 yr. old child in Finland who is learning English. Her mom reports to me that it was a hit!
Book arrived promptly and is absolutely stunning. It’s a hardback book and the texture and palette of colours is perfect. The actual story is based on a poem by the late poet Jame Berry OBE. The story of a young girl whose memories of her days are imprinted on a magical dress she wears. The publisher celebrates diversity and representing BAME cultures in books. This book does just that. Thank you Lantana Publishing!
‘The story of Afiya’ stopped me in my tracks as soon as I saw it. The front cover alone is so beautiful and I couldn’t wait to see what was inside.
The illustrations are the first thing you’ll notice. Any one of them would look beautiful framed on a wall and the earthy colours give the book a really calming and peaceful feel (it’s perfect for a bedtime story). The story itself is by celebrated Jamaican poet James Berry and is magical and mysterious in equal parts. There’s plenty of room for discussion about what is happening with Afiya’s dress but at the same time her experiences will be familiar to children all around the world.
I have seen this book feature a few times in my feed recently and there’s a good reason for that- it’s quite simply one of the most stunning books I’ve seen for ages. Completely different in style and design from anything on my bookshelves and with an enigmatic story that leaves the readers to think about what the author is sharing with us. We loved reading it.
“A story about Afiya” is a lovely hardback book with gorgeous illustrations and interesting narrative.
It’s so refreshing to find books with diverse characters and such lovely creative illustrations.
This was a gift to a 10 yr. old child in Finland who is learning English. Her mom reports to me that it was a hit!
Book arrived promptly and is absolutely stunning. It’s a hardback book and the texture and palette of colours is perfect. The actual story is based on a poem by the late poet Jame Berry OBE. The story of a young girl whose memories of her days are imprinted on a magical dress she wears. The publisher celebrates diversity and representing BAME cultures in books. This book does just that. Thank you Lantana Publishing!