CARNIVAL QUEEN

A little girl’s favorite day of the year poses some unique challenges, but she handles it with the grace of a queen.

With her bonnet still on, Kayla looks out the window to see costumed dancers amid the thunderous boom of the recently set up speakers. After helping Grandma cook Caribbean treats and sitting with Mommy to have festive and colorful beads put in her hair, Kayla dons the glittery outfit that she’ll be rocking today as a Carnival queen. With “pretty costumes and BIG ENERGY,” Granny, Mommy, and Kayla test out their moves; their brown skin, their colorful clothing and accessories, and Kayla’s ornamental hair beads and headdress are all vibrantly illustrated to capture movement and cultural flourishes. But maybe they’re moving too fast too soon—Kayla slips and rips and pops out of her costume. Sadly, there’s not much time before the carnival begins. But Granny reminds young Kayla—and readers—that the real purpose of the festivities isn’t costumes, but rather a connection to the ancestors, a global celebration of pan-African heritage, as Williams-Harry notes in her backmatter. And it should be no surprise that the community eventually comes together for Kayla, taking her costume to another level as the Soca music blares and she rises again in her richly colored, feathered, and shining new dress as “CARNIVAL QUEEN!”

A celebration of a celebration, both fun and inviting.