  | Nesting dolls Author: Brantley-Newton, Vanessa | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
A little girl struggling to find her place within her family is shown how special she is through a set of nesting dolls.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/01/23)
School Library Journal (09/01/23)
Booklist (10/15/23)
The Hornbook (+) (00/09/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/01/2023 K-Gr 2—A charming story about accepting who you are. Anyiaka doesn't feel like she is as pretty or talented as her sister or the other women in her family. When she sees the nesting dolls her grandmother is making, she decides to paint over the one that is designated as being in her image. Her grandmother, seeing what she has done, tells Anyiaka their history and the unique qualities all of the women in their family share. Brantley-Newton uses her own experiences to infuse the story with Gullah Geechee culture and dialect and includes an author's note about her family. The digitally created artwork, full of warmth and domestic touches that invite readers into the pages, includes bright colors and fun details worth revisiting. VERDICT A sweet story about embracing your history, set amid a beautiful Black family's reunion.—V. Lynn Christiansen - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 10/15/2023 Anyiaka admires everything about her older sister, Sorie, including how much she’s like Mom and Grandma—Sorie even has their “golden brown skin,” while Anyiaka is the darkest in her family. Anyiaka feels even more out of place in Grandma’s art studio while looking at family portraits, then at nearby nesting dolls, one of which has darker skin than the rest, just like her—“Is this me?” she wonders. Upset and wanting to fit in, she begins repainting the doll with a lighter shade of brown, until Grandma enters and reassures, explaining that Anyiaka has attributes of every woman in their family, not just her skin. Uplifted, and with Grandma, Mom, and Sorie’s help, Anyiaka completes the doll to look more like herself, realizing it fits with the rest perfectly. The lively, loving Gullah Geechee family is depicted in vibrant mixed-media illustrations, incorporating bright patterns and photographic elements. Along with Anyiaka’s expressive narrative, this offers an affectionate celebration of family through generations. A sweet and affirming book that gently tackles the issue of colorism. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
