"'8 Picture Books That Let Young Minds Wonder and Wander on Their Own'
These journeys of the imagination explore what it means to be human.

A Story About Afiya

Written by James Berry. Illustrated by Anna Cunha.

This joyous celebration of childhood, culture and place by the late Jamaican poet follows a young girl named Afiya ('health' in Swahili) whose summer frock 'collects' what she sees as she dances across an island in motion: One day butterflies adhere to it, imprinting their vivid patterns, another day flocks of birds or fish in the waves. For its Brazilian illustrator each airy panoramic spread is a fresh canvas, like Afiya's newly washed dress each morning. Cunha’s color palette, mixing earth tones and pastels, is the perfect complement to Berry’s wondrous words.

32 pp. Lantana. $17.99. (Ages 5 and up.)"―The New York Times

"In 1991, prolific Jamaican poet and Coretta Scott King Honor author James Berry (A Thief in the Village) wrote 'A Story About Afiya,' an exquisite celebration of the simple magic of childhood. Lantana Publishing, founded 'because all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read,' here debuts a dazzlingly illustrated posthumous edition of the poem magnificently enhanced by Brazilian artist Anna Cunha's work.

Afiya is a lively young girl with 'fine black skin/ that shows off her white clothes/ and big brown eyes that laugh/ and long limbs that play.' Her wardrobe consists of a single 'white summer frock/ she wears and washes every night.' But this dress is something spectacular: 'every day [it] picks on something/ to collect, strangely.' Throughout the summer, each of Afiya's daily adventures imprints memorable details onto the blank canvas that is her summer frock: 'Afiya passes sunflowers and finds/ the yellow fringed black faces there.' As her summer outings continue, she emerges from a walk through a resplendent garden with red roses in 'clustered bunches.' On another day, she wanders through high grass and returns adorned with butterflies. Despite the dress's nightly washings, 'the sharp pictures in colour' remain untouched; yet, by morning, that same dress is 'cleared and ready,/ hanging white as new paper' in anticipation for her next great discovery: pigeons in formation, tigers at the zoo, 'fishes under ruffled waves.' With so much to do, Afiya's summer passes quickly, too soon revealing the 'windswept leaves/ of October, falling,' ushering in the autumn season.

Berry, who lived in Great Britain, was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to poetry before he died in 2017. The poet's partner, Myra Barrs, an author, teacher and publisher, writes in a brief foreword that 'James Berry created a magic world for Afiya.' She adds that Anna Cunha 'has re-imagined the poem and created an enchanting fantasy landscape for Afiya's adventures.' Each double-page spread is a marvelous new portrayal of Afiya, who seems perpetually in motion, dancing, flying, climbing, exploring and enjoying the delightful panoramas all around her. When readers open the book, its initial square shape expands into a wide beckoning landscape, with each page turn revealing a dynamic new view. From front to back, even the endpapers extend gorgeous, inventive invitations to readers.

As if emphasizing Afiya's glowing, rounded pink cheeks--her Swahili name means 'health'―Cunha generously infuses her palette with rich pink and vibrant red hues. In visually accentuating Afiya's free-roaming, outdoor-oriented, boundless explorations, Cunha affirms the essential necessity of encouraging childhood creativity to be untethered and free. As Barrs rightfully concludes, "This book is a wonderful weaving together of two imaginations.' Indeed, indeed! ―Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

Shelf Talker: The posthumous publication of Jamaican poet James Berry's 'A Story About Afiya' makes its debut in this visually spectacular edition illustrated by Brazilian artist Anna Cunha."

"A young girl wears a special white dress that records her day's experiences in this story by Jamaican poet Berry. Afiya's 'fine black skin...shows off her white clothes,' a summer dress that she wears every day and washes every night. By day, the 'frock' picks up images of whatever Afiya passes among―sunflowers, red roses, butterflies, animals, fish, or falling leaves. By night, the imprints stay when she washes her dress, but in the morning, her dress is white again, ready for new patterns and colors to impress themselves upon it. Afiya is 'amazed' at the wonders she finds on her dress, and readers will be amazed at the beauty of Cunha's artistic rendering. Afiya's hair surrounds her head like a crown, and the fantastical colors of her natural world, landscapes dominated by muted pinks, blues, and burnt yellow, all serve to enhance the beauty of Afiya's dark skin. The spare, matte illustrations offer a feast of images to set the imagination soaring while the surreal story and its unusual language turn the wheels of the mind. A unique and beautiful combination of poetic story and expressive art."―Kirkus Reviews