Three deeply personal picture books

Me & Mama 

Mora's Curly Hair 

Under My Hijab 

"It's raining! I say.

The perfect day for boats 

And puddles, says Mama."

     Cozbi A. Cabrera's Me & Mama celebrates the special love between a nurturing mother and the little girl who wants to be everywhere she is.  They get up when the other members of the household are sleeping and, after showers, breakfast, and hair combing, set off in the rain with a dog named Max.

     Of course you know what they do when they see puddles.

     Not surprisingly, Cabrera is the mother of a daughter who wants to be everywhere she is.

     This gentle, reassuring book would be a perfect bedtime read aloud.

     The pint protagonist of Maryam al Serkal's Mira's Curly Hair hates her crowning glory.  Desperately wanting her hair to be as straight as that of her mother, she does everything she can to tame it...

   ...until she experiences a rainy day epiphany.

     The author was inspired to write this story by her own then three-year-old daughter.  Her hope is that "We can all embrace our unique qualities and be proud of them."

     I learned plenty when I read Hena Khan's Under My Hijab.  In Central Maine we don't see all that many hijabs.  I never associated them with terrorism.  I understand them as expressions of faith.  If I ever see someone picked on for wearing one I'll be in the bully's face in a New York minute.

     But, maybe because I've seen very few hijabs to date, I've considered them generic, sort of like old school nuns' habits.

     The child narrator of Under My Hijab shows the wide range of styles the girls and women in her family rock.  Her doctor mother tucks hers neatly into her professional attire.  Her artist aunt wears a funky short version.  Cousin Iman wraps hers to stay in place while she practices martial arts.

     Aaliya Jones's lively illustrations team up beautifully with the text to create a most engaging narrative.

On a purrrsonal note, the Community Connector buses are back on their regular schedule!!!  Because of large scale construction on Route 2 the Old Town buses which pass through Veazie and Orono on their routes between Bangor and Old Town had to be rerouted.  Going to school wasn't much of a problem--only a ten minute delay.  But getting home with a detour through Bangor more than doubled my commute.  I'd leave UMaine at 3:30 and get home at nearly 5:00 which made it so much harder to get dinner on the table.  The other commuters I've talked to and I are so happy to get back to the regular schedule. (Jules)

Now she can get back to her favorite cat, me, sooner.  YESSS!!! (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the bus drivers who had to put up with not only the changes, but a bunch of complaints and the new drivers who will hopefully sign on soon so we can have access to buses on Saturdays.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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