{"id":1008,"date":"2014-10-29T21:33:30","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T20:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mirrorswindowsdoors.org\/wp\/?p=1008"},"modified":"2014-10-31T11:58:50","modified_gmt":"2014-10-31T10:58:50","slug":"review-imanis-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mirrorswindowsdoors.org\/wp\/review-imanis-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Imani’s Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood and Hazel Mitchell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Imani's<\/p>\n

Imani’s Moon<\/strong><\/em>
\nwritten by\u00a0JaNay Brown-Wood<\/a>, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell<\/a>
\n(Mackinac Island Press, Charlesbridge Publishing, 2014)<\/h2>\n

Principal’s Award (National Association of Elementary School Principals): Picture Book of the Year<\/p>\n

Ages: 5-8<\/h3>\n

Imani is a little girl with a big dream.\u00a0 She is the smallest child in her Maasai village and the other children tease and taunt her continually, until her dreams are nearly crushed out of her.\u00a0 However, the bedtime stories her mother tells her about Olapa the goddess of the moon and Anansi the spider, while tracing their constellations in the night sky, put the unstoppable idea into Imani\u2019s head that she will touch the moon.\u00a0 Undeterred by the other children\u2019s and even the animal\u2019s jeers, she perseveres, holding her mother\u2019s words close to her heart: \u2018Imani, it is only you<\/em> who must believe.’<\/p>\n

JaNay Brown-Wood\u2019s beautiful story takes its inspiration from the adumu<\/em>, the traditional jumping dance performed by Maasai men.\u00a0 It is the perfect context for Imani\u2019s determined leaping to touch the moon. \u00a0Hazel Mitchell\u2019s illustrations capture the magical spring of the dance and provide direct comparison between young warriors performing the adumu<\/em> and Imani\u2019s perseverance, as she leaps with legs together, toes pointed downwards, and arms straight by her side \u2013 one, two, three times; getting better with each attempt.<\/p>\n

In fact, the illustrations are beautiful \u2013 they sketch in the landscape and village scenery, and Imani herself is adorable.\u00a0 They heighten the slightly surreal quality of the story.\u00a0 They provide her with her silent friend, a faithful little goat. \u00a0It is indicative of the quality of the story-telling, and the way that the words and pictures work together, that the blend of realism and imagination does not need to be called into question; it just works. \u00a0Where Imani is shown with her mother, the illustrations emanate the strength of their love and provide a sense of where Imani fuels herself with the resilience to rise above her peers\u2019 taunting: the perfect reflection of her mother\u2019s words, which reverberate through the narrative and will linger long in the hearts of young readers.<\/p>\n

Imani\u2019s Moon <\/em>will resonate with young readers \u2013 they will recognise and condemn the hurt caused by the other children, and they will carry away with them the story\u2019s message of perseverance and resilience. \u00a0They might just want to find out a bit more about the Maasai,too \u2013 and they will certainly feel inspired to follow their own dreams.<\/p>\n

Marjorie Coughlan<\/em>
\nOctober 2014<\/p>\n

More:<\/h2>\n

Watch the trailer:<\/p>\n