Tag: Black culture

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Special Days: Wash Day with Mama

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Wash Day with Mama, by Monia Mikai, (Jan. 2025, Crown Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593810644

Ages 4-8

It’s Sunday, and it’s the best day of the week for the little girl at the heart of Wash Day with Mama: it’s wash day! The story takes a wonderful look at the process of caring for Black hair by turning it into a girls’ spa day. Mama asks her daughter what hair style she wants for the coming week, and the girl helps prep by fetching all the supplies her mom will need – except for the deep conditioner, which her mom makes in the kitchen. The story takes readers step-by-step through the wash day routine and focuses on the relationship-building and self-care aspects. Mama empowers her daughter by relating the dual purposes served by the conditioner’s ingredients, telling her it contains “all the things you’ll also need in life… honey for some smoothing, for when life gets tough… tea tree oil for soothing, for the discomfort that can come with growth… coconut milk and avocado for strength, so you can keep on going”. The digital illustrations are warm and full of comfort and love and show a legacy of care as we see Mama’s mother taking her through the same ritual when she was a child. Mama reminds her daughter that wash day may take some time, but prioritizes self care, noting that “it’s an act of loving yourself, inside and out”. This story is pure joy and is a great addition to collections.

Monica Mikai is an author and illustrator of books for children. She is passionate about creating thoughtful stories and illustrations that inspire the reader to see life from a new perspective. Monica is the illustrator of the picture books Build a House, Thank a Farmer, The Proudest Color, My Name is a Story, and The Blue Pickup, among others. When not writing or illustrating, she can be found practicing yoga and pranayama, hiking, or propagating her many house plants. She lives in coastal Virginia with her husband and two sons.
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Monica Mikai: @monicamikai
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
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Random House Children’s Books: Random House Children’s Books
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Read and display with:

Hair Love  Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry/Illustrated by Vashti Harrison, (May 2019, Kokila), $17.99, ISBN: 9780525553366

Stella’s Stellar Hair, by Yesenia Moises, (Jan. 2021, Imprint), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250261779

 

My Hair, by Hannah Lee/Illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan, (Sept. 2019, Faber & Faber), $16.95, ISBN: 9780571346868

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Teen, Tween Reads

Breaking the cycles: Artie and the Wolf Moon

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Artie and the Wolf Moon, by Olivia Stephens, (Sept. 2021, Graphic Universe), $16.99, ISBN: 9781728420202

Ages 12-15

Artie and the Wolf Moon is, on the surface, a YA graphic novel about werewolves and vampires, but there’s so much more waiting for you here. Artie Irvin lives with her mom, a park ranger. She’s a burgeoning photographer who sneaks out one night, against her mother’s wishes, to take some photographs and discovers a huge wolf that somehow morphs into her mother! Confronting her mother, Artie learns that she comes from a long line of werewolves, but may be a “late bloomer” because she hasn’t shifted yet. Artie’s mom agrees to tell her about everything, including her late father, but when racist bullies at school lead to Artie shifting, her mom realizes it’s time to introduce her daughter to her family – and learn about what it means to be shifter.

Olivia Stephens has created a truly original werewolf story with origins in Black history, infused with the power of the wolf to guard and survive. I could read stories about every character in Artie’s family and still want to read more; I love Olivia Stephens’s storytelling and artwork so much. She creates realistic characters and her origin story reminds me of indigenous artwork with earth tones and primitive figures. She creates harrowing moments in the struggle between wolf and vampire and gives readers an incredible story of Black culture, community, family, and history. Fantastic storytelling and I want more.