Nesting Dolls
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A heartwarming picture book about how one little girl's unique beauty has been growing for generations in her family tree.
Anyiaka is in awe of her gorgeous Gullah Geechee family—she wants to be beautiful like her older sister, Sorie, a great listener like her mom, and a talented artist like her grandma. But on today's visit to her grandparents’ house, Anyiaka sticks out from the rest of the family like a sore thumb. She can't seem to do anything right, and a trip to Grandma's art studio confirms just how different she is from the rest of the family.
But Grandma’s artwork—a special set of nesting dolls—also shows that what’s on the outside doesn’t always tell the whole story. While they may be distinct, together, her family’s beauty and inner strength have deep roots that have been growing within each of them for generations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
During a trip to visit their grandparents, Anyiaka, a child with dark brown skin, feels like they "stick out like a sore thumb" among family members who have "glamorous hair and golden brown skin." After being sent out of the kitchen when trying to help make dinner, Anyiaka examines pictures of ancestors in their grandmother's art studio, and attempts to repaint a nesting doll figure that represents Anyiaka, using a lighter color. The child's grandma, who speaks in dialect, remarks that the family is similar in ways Anyiaka doesn't see, from the smile they inherited from her to their mom's "soulful eyes" and their sibling's "rosy cheeks." With Anyiaka's sister and mother, they make a set of nesting dolls that reflect all of them: "Every doll is different, but they come together to make one big doll. One big family." Brantley-Newton's abundant use of vivid textile patterns gives the story a homey atmosphere that suits its layered contemplation of family. A note about the Gullah Geechee people concludes. Ages 4–8.
