AUTHOR: JANE KURTZ

ILLUSTRATOR: FLOYD COOPER

DESCRIPTION: “Much of what is good comes slowly.” Almaz longs for her new stepmother’s love but finds she is getting nowhere until she learns the wisdom behind her grandfather’s words.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Jane Kurtz tells a beautiful and well crafted story from Ethiopia about death and new beginnings in a young girl’s life. Almaz and her father have mourned the death of her mother for a year. One day she learns that her father will remarry and that she will receive a new mother. Almaz is excited at the news and welcomes her new mom into their home. However the reception is less than thrilling and Almaz is at a lost about what to do. Floyd Cooper’s illustrations weave rich textures and warmth into this story of a child’s struggles to connect to a new parent and the gift of wisdom that lights the way to her new mother’s heart.

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