FICTION

Nesting Dolls

by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (text) & illus. by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Crown. Oct. 2023. 40p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781984852373.
COPY ISBN
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.
Reviewed by V. Lynn Christiansen , Sep 01, 2023

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