A Story About Afiya

This is a spectacularly beautiful picture book about a little girl whose white dress picks up the colors and patterns of whatever she does for the day, and then magically becomes white again for the next day's adventures. The art is stunning and the mood is magical. My one small issue with it is that it's confusing where Afiya lives. At the start of the book we see palm trees what looks like a desert, yet later on there is snow outside and leaves are falling. Even the look of her home is radically different at times and there's no mention of moving. I originally thought that it took place in Africa (a note at the start tells us that her name means health in Swahili and early scenes look like a more African landscape), but then towards the end her living room looks like a typical American home and there appears to be snow covered hills out the window. Kids may not notice this or care, but it was a bit distracting for me. That said, it's an absolutely beautiful book and one I'd highly recommend.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Such a great book--filled with figurative language that allows readers to visualize Afiya---superb illustrations!
Perfect book to use in the classroom when teaching imagery and theme....

The art seemed like watercolor paintings vivid and beautiful. Afiya has beautiful skin and bantu knots in her hair. She wears a white dress that picks up a little bit of everything she encounters from tigers to leaves. A beautiful story. The book opens in reverse on the Kindle app so be sure to start on the last page and read it in reverse.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Creative and beautifully crafted. Afiya discovers her natural surroundings while picking up traces of her adventure on her dress. Colorful pictures and lyrical prose.

I genuinely loved this book! I’m almost speechless. Afiya and her dress are a wonderful inspiration for brown skin girls everywhere. She is beautiful, carefree, and enjoying the skin she’s in.

beautiful illustrations that prominently feature an adorable black-skinned girl (yay! More diverse titles like this, please!) who enjoys daily nature-filled outings.
Lyrical text provides a quiet storyline that invites reflection--would be great for one-on-one reading as well as a read-aloud to a smallish group that can enjoy a quiet story.