Mama's Sleeping Scarf

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Joelle Avelino (Illustrator)

Overview

The first children's book from the best-selling author of We Should All Be Feminists and Americanah—a tender story about a little girl’s love for her mother’s scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family

Chino loves the scarf that her mama ties around her hair at night. But when Mama leaves for the day, what happens to her scarf? Chino takes it on endless adventures! Peeking through the colorful haze of the silky scarf, Chino and her toy bunny can look at her whole family as they go through their routines. 

With stunning illustrations from Joelle Avelino, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is a celebration of family, and a touching story about the everyday objects that remind us of the ones we love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593535578
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	610,204
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Best of the Best” award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief, and Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a children’s book written as Nwa Grace-James. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.

JOELLE AVELINO is a Congolese and Angolan illustrator who grew up in the United Kingdom. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, Elle magazine, Time magazine, Huffington Post, and by the BBC and Malala Fund.

Editorial Reviews

08/07/2023

A mother’s scarf helps a child navigate a day’s beats in this reiterative garment-focused picture book from Grace-James (Americanah, for adults, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) and illustrator Avelino, both making U.S. picture book debuts. Green with “big red circles and little blue circles,” Mama’s silky sleeping scarf helps “to keep her hair all soft and nice.” When Mama has to leave for the day, she offers up the scarf as a plaything, an action that catalyzes further connection with the child’s other family members. Bright, pattern-forward domestic spreads depict Chino as wrapping stuffed companion Bunny in the scarf while playing doctor, using the scarf to play peekaboo with Papa, waving it around on a walk with Grandpa, and having it tied around Chino’s own head by Grandma. When dinner is served, the textile even inspires Chino to eat vegetables that mimic its pattern. Conversations between Chino and Bunny sometimes echo narrative lines, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness, while appealing household details (“fresh fruits all sweet and nice. Yellow bananas and green mangoes”) contribute fresh sensorial observations. This straightforward yet lively telling illustrates how a simple object used to maintain and accessorize hair supports both a child’s sense of autonomy and a Black family’s powerful bond. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2023-06-21
A young Black child plays with her mama’s sleeping scarf while Mama is gone.

In her children’s book debut, Adichie (writing as Nwa Grace-James) presents a story of a girl named Chino who admires her mother’s soft, silky scarf. When Mama has to go to work, she offers Chino her sleeping scarf to play with until she returns. The green fabric with “big red circles” and “little blue circles” can be a blanket for her stuffed bunny, a curtain for peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home. Finally the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Throughout the day, spent playing games, eating snacks, and exercising with Papa, Grandpa, Grandma, and Bunny, the scarf connects Chino to Mama. Avelino’s playful illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright, fantastical backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with her loved ones. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting readers to dwell in Chino’s world. This is a cozy read-aloud to help little ones wind down before a nap or bed. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Solidly reassuring. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"A heartfelt story about a little girl, a beloved's mother's scarf and a host of adventures shared with it and her whole family." —Delaina Dixon, Ebony Magazine

"Solidly reassuring. . . . Avelino’s playful illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright, fantastical backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with her loved ones. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting readers to dwell in Chino’s world. This is a cozy read-aloud to help little ones wind down before a nap or bed." —Kirkus Reviews

"This straightforward yet lively telling illustrates how a simple object used to maintain and accessorize hair supports both a child’s sense of autonomy and a Black family’s powerful bond." —Publishers Weekly

"An adorable book with beautifully-colored illustrations by Joelle Avelino. . . .  A sweet story about worries and adventures, along with routines and family. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf shows how the smallest things are connected, how a family relates to one another, and more importantly, how Mama always comes back home." —Black Girl Nerds

"A sweet story about family, connection, and the joys of everyday life." —Brightly (The Best Children’s and YA Books of September)

From the Publisher