Tag: mothers and daughters

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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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 Graphic Novels, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Three generations of women tell their stories in Age 16

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Age 16, by Rosena Fung, (July 2024, Annick Press), $24.99, ISBN: 9781773218335

Ages 12+

Fung’s story reminds readers that 16 isn’t always sweet. Set in three areas of the world in three different decades, Age 16 tells the stories of a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter at age 16: In 1954, Mei Laan dreams of getting out of Guangdong, China. An arranged marriage may be her ticket to Hong Kong, and a better life. In 1972, 16-year-old Lydia wants desperately to dance and enjoy her life. Her critical mother never looks on the bright side of anything, and it’s hard not to be brought down by her harsh criticisms, particularly about her weight. Maybe if she heads to Toronto, things will be better? In 2000, 16-year-old Roz lives in Toronto, struggles with her weight and self-image. When her mother lets her know that her grandmother is coming to visit, Roz is taken aback – her mom and grandmother aren’t that close. When Mei Laan arrives, dour and full of criticism, everyone feels off-center. Through flashbacks, readers understand each woman’s struggles; through conversations and interactions, the characters ultimately peel away the layers of emotion and trauma. Age 16 brings home how some issues facing women never seem to change, while new challenges constantly emerge: physical beauty and value is a major theme running through the book, with Mei Laan constantly commenting Lydia’s, and later, Roz’s weight; Mei Laan’s own value to her family is through her marriageability. Both Mei Laan and Lydia are single mothers; Mei Laan uses this as another point of judgement against Lydia. Roz stresses about her body image, where Lydia embraces a more free, accepting attitude; most likely as protection and pushback against her mother. Rosena Fung skillfully blends three individuals across three generations to tell a powerful story about women and generational trauma. She tells each character’s story in a different color, allowing for a smooth change in narrative that won’t disrupt the reader. Mei Laan’s story is told with a green-blue wash; Lydia’s, in an orange wash, and Roz, in a purple wash. The illustration work is bold and filled with pop cultural details that will enhance reading. Back matter includes historical notes and resources for further reading. Age 16 is indispensible reading and belongs on every library’s bookshelf.

Age 16 has a starred review from Publishers Weekly and is an Indie Next choice. It is also one of Ms. Magazine’s Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2024.

Posted in Graphic Novels, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

It ain’t easy being a superhero’s kid: I Am Not Starfire

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I Am Not Starfire, by Mariko Tamaki/Illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani, (July 2021, DC Comics), $16.99, ISBN: 9781779501264

Ages 13-17
The latest original DC YA graphic novel, by YA rock star Mariko Tamaki, is all about the fraught relationship between (Teen) Titan’s Starfire and her teen daughter, Mandy. Mandy’s been raised by her mom – no word on her dad’s identity, although everyone around her sure has opinions they don’t mind sharing with her – and she is NOT like her mother at all. She isn’t sparkly. She isn’t a tall, alien superhero with superpowers. She’s a goth chick who dyes her hair black, wears combat boots, and looks at just about everyone her with total disdain, except for her best friend, Lincoln. When Mandy is paired with “in” girl Claire for a school project, the two hit it off – so well that Mandy, who’s just walked out of her SAT and decided to run away to France rather than go to college – may be interested in sticking around after all. But Starfire’s family unrest follows her from Tamaran to Earth, and Mandy finds herself facing a fight for her life – or her mother’s.
I Am Not Starfire is all about the up-and-down relationships between parents and kids. Are parents aliens to teens? Possibly. Are teens aliens to grownups? Heck yes (speaking for my two, exclusively). The relationship between Mandy and Starfire is recognizable, whether you have a parent that expects too much from you, or that you just can’t relate to for a moment in time, but that you still love and want to be loved by in return. It’s about family secrets, starting over, and discovering ourselves for who we are, sparkly powers notwithstanding, and it’s about relationships with our friends, nurturing a crush to see where it goes, and the (sometimes) explosive relationships we have with family. Yoshi Yoshitani’s artwork is amazing, and Mariko Tamaki is one of best writers in comics right now. Together, they create a great book for your teen graphic novel collections.
Posted in Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

YA in dual narratives: Between Before and After

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Between Before and After, by Maureen Doyle McQuerry, (Feb. 2019, Blink), $17.99, ISBN: 978-0310767381

Ages 12+

Told in two narratives across two timespans, Between Before & After is the story of Elaine, a girl raising her younger brother, Stephen, after losing her mother and baby sister to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and her grief-stricken father to a drunken brawl, and Elaine’s teenaged daughter, Molly, as she tries to unravel her mother’s secret past. The narratives shift between fourteen-year-old Elaine’s story from 1918-1920, and Molly’s in 1955. Molly sees her journalist mother as an enigma, going so far as to create a “biography box” to hold clues to her mother’s story. Elaine’s story is a heartbreaking one, beginning with her mother and baby sister dying, and her father’s spiral into alcoholism and neglect and ending with his death. When Elaine finds work reading to a blind man in a wealthy family, she is relieved at being able to support her and her brother, but a turn of events separates Elaine and Stephen. In 1955, past and present converge when Stephen finds himself at the center of a religious controversy that shines a spotlight on the family.

Between Before and After is a solid piece of historical fiction that examines social class and mental illness. The subplot involving Elaine’s brother Stephen was interesting, but only served a small plot forwarding device for Elaine’s – and, to a degree, Molly’s – story. The characters drew me right in, and anything about New York in the early 20th Century gets my attention. I enjoyed Maureen Doyle McQuerry’s storytelling, especially Elaine’s story; she was a fully realized character.

If you have historical fiction readers, this is a good pick for you. There’s much to discuss about social class, stigma, and childhood poverty here, making this a good extension/book discussion choice for social studies/history classes.