ALA Booklist (Mon Nov 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut children's book (written under the pen name Nwa Grace-James), a young Black girl is enthralled by her mother's silky sleeping scarf. Chino enjoys tracing her fingers around the swirling patterns and watching Mama tie the scarf around her head before going to bed to keep "her hair all soft and nice." When Mama leaves for work in the morning, she gives Chino her scarf to play with. Soothing separation anxiety, the colorful scarf accompanies the child throughout her day and is a blanket for her toy bunny, a prop for a game of peekaboo with Papa, and a billowy kite on her garden walkabout with Grandpa. The playful text is full of wonder and joy: "Wheeew! goes the scarf in the wind." Congolese Angolan animator Avelino's vivacious illustrations have bright, happy hues and plenty of pleasing circular shapes, from Grandma's purple-framed glasses to red tomatoes on a dinner plate. This slice-of-life picture book is warmly wrapped up in familial love.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In this warm tale of family, particularly the bond between mother and daughter, young Chino observes, "Every night before bed, Mama ties her scarf around her head. To keep her hair all soft and nice." Chino loves Mama's silky scarf, with its big red circles and little blue circles, and she is delighted when Mama lets her play with it while she is at work. Chino shows her toy bunny (who talks back "in her secret voice") all the wonderful things that it can do: the scarf is a blanket for Bunny, it's used for exercise in the backyard with Grandpa, and it's a hiding spot for peekaboo with Grandma. When Mama comes home, she allows Chino to wear the scarf (which, at the dinner table, even helps Papa convince the girl to try her vegetables) until it is time for her to go to bed. While Mama's patterned scarf is the focus, Avelino has incorporated bright shapes and patterns throughout the house and on the family members' clothing. In her picture-book debut, acclaimed adult author Adichie (here "writing as Nwa Grace-James") has incorporated upbeat interactions with every member of Chino's family as they engage her in imaginative play. As a result, she is confident as she "parents" Bunny throughout the day and into the evening. The Spanish edition, El panuelo de mama, will be published in February 2024.

Kirkus Reviews

A young Black child plays with her mama's sleeping scarf while Mama is gone.In her children's book debut, Adichie (writing as Nwa Grace-James) presents a story of a girl named Chino who admires her mother's soft, silky scarf. When Mama has to go to work, she offers Chino her sleeping scarf to play with until she returns. The green fabric with "big red circles" and "little blue circles" can be a blanket for her stuffed bunny, a curtain for peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home. Finally the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Throughout the day, spent playing games, eating snacks, and exercising with Papa, Grandpa, Grandma, and Bunny, the scarf connects Chino to Mama. Avelino's playful illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright, fantastical backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino's relationships with her loved ones. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting readers to dwell in Chino's world. This is a cozy read-aloud to help little ones wind down before a nap or bed. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Solidly reassuring. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A mother’s scarf helps a child navigate a day’s beats in this reiterative garment-focused picture book from Grace-James (Americanah, for adults, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) and illustrator Avelino, both making U.S. picture book debuts. Green with “big red circles and little blue circles,” Mama’s silky sleeping scarf helps “to keep her hair all soft and nice.” When Mama has to leave for the day, she offers up the scarf as a plaything, an action that catalyzes further connection with the child’s other family members. Bright, pattern-forward domestic spreads depict Chino as wrapping stuffed companion Bunny in the scarf while playing doctor, using the scarf to play peekaboo with Papa, waving it around on a walk with Grandpa, and having it tied around Chino’s own head by Grandma. When dinner is served, the textile even inspires Chino to eat vegetables that mimic its pattern. Conversations between Chino and Bunny sometimes echo narrative lines, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness, while appealing household details (“fresh fruits all sweet and nice. Yellow bananas and green mangoes”) contribute fresh sensorial observations. This straightforward yet lively telling illustrates how a simple object used to maintain and accessorize hair supports both a child’s sense of autonomy and a Black family’s powerful bond. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)