A “wonderful novel” steeped in the folklore of the South from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Women of Brewster Place (The Washington Post Book World). On an island off the coast of Georgia, there’s a place where superstition is more potent than any trappings of the modern world. In Willow Springs, the formidable Mama Day uses her powers to heal. But her great niece, Cocoa, can’t wait to get away. In New York City, Cocoa meets George. They fall in love and marry quickly. But when she finally brings him home to Willow Springs, the island’s darker forces come into play. As their connection is challenged, Cocoa and George must rely on Mama Day’s mysticism. Told from multiple perspectives, Mama Day is equal parts star-crossed love story, generational saga, and exploration of the supernatural. Hailed as Gloria Naylor’s “richest and most complex” novel, it is the kind of book that stays with you long after the final page (Providence Journal).
From talented illustrator Laura Bryant and gifted newcomer Aimee Reid comes a charming, heartwarming story about a little elephant's love for his mama. "Mama, when I grow up, will you grow down?" What would it be like if, one day, Little Gray were the big elephant and Mama the small one? Little Gray can picture it perfectly. He'd shade her from the sun, teach her to make mud, and find pictures in the clouds with her. In fact, he would do for her exactly what she does for him.
With a heartwarming story and tender illustrations, Jeanette Bradley's debut picture book Love, Mama is perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and any day when a child needs a reminder of the strength of a mother's love. When Mama leaves her young penguin Kipling, he knows she'll return home soon—yet he still can't help but miss her. After all, Pillow Mama won't read, Picture Mama won't laugh, and Snow Mama is too cold to cuddle. But then Kipling receives a special delivery from Mama, including a note that reads: My love for you stretches across the wide ocean, through day and night, from earth to sky and back again. And Kipling knows that no matter where Mama is, he is loved. Soon, Mama comes home, and Kipling ends the day where he belongs—right in her arms.
Somewhere there's a mama lifting baby from a crib, Snapping rompers, looping laces, Brushing crumbs from baby's bib. With its simple rhyming verse, this book pays tribute to mamas and children. From waking babies up in the morning to hushing baby to sleep at night, mamas' lives revolve around their children. The gentle illustrations depict all kinds of mamas and babies, sunning on the seashore, walking in a bustling market, and quietly rocking in a wooden chair. But wherever they are, mamas and babies are together, and this book celebrates the special bond that they share.
Come for a visit with the Berenstain Bears in this beloved story that's perfect to teach children about the importance of thoughtfulness and family, great for a storytime read this Mother's Day! A classic First Time Book; from Stan and Jan Berenstain. It's Mother's Day, and Papa and the cubs want to do something very special for Mama, but will they be able to keep it a secret? Includes over 50 bonus stickers!
A “moving and memorable” novel about a cafe where everyone has a story to tell from the award-winning author of The Women of Brewster Place (The Boston Globe). In post–World War II Brooklyn, on a quiet backstreet, there’s a little place that draws people from all over—not for the food, and definitely not for the coffee. An in-between place that’s only there when you need it, Bailey’s Cafe is a crossroads where patrons stay for a while before making a choice: Move on or check out? In this novel, National Book Award–winning author Gloria Naylor’s expertly crafted characters experience a journey full of beauty and heartbreak. Touching on gender, race, and the African American experience, Bailey’s Cafe is “a sublime achievement” about the resilience of the human spirit (People).
It’s Mother’s Day, and two baby Zoobles are making presents for their mamas in this charming 8x8. They paint cards, pick flowers, and decorate cookies. Even when things go wrong, the presents turn out perfectly. It's the best Mother’s Day ever! Includes a sticker sheet.
"This collection of essays treats Gloria Naylor's novels Mama Day and Bailey's Cafe, recognized by scholars and critics as her most significant works. Long understood to be a major African-American woman writer, Gloria Naylor is finally gaining recognition as a contemporary American writer who needs no qualifiers or adjectives before her name. One of the few critical studies of her work, this text represents the work of a group of scholars who are looking seriously and carefully at Naylor, attempting to determine her place, not within an intellectual tradition, but rather within several traditions."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
While spending a lovely day with his mother, a young elephant named Little Gray imagines that when he grows older, his mother will grow younger and he will care for her as his calf.
“Blazes a new trail in Africana literary criticism by providing an insight into the soul and spirit of Africana womanhood.” --Anthonia Kalu, The Ohio State University, author of Women, Literature, and Development in Africa This is the revised and expanded edition of Teresa N. Washington's groundbreaking book Our Mothers, Our Powers, Our Texts: Manifestations of Aje in Africana Literature. In Yoruba language and culture, Aje signifies both a phenomenal spiritual power and the human beings who exercise that power. Aje is the birthright of Africana women who are revered as the Gods of Society. While Africana men can have Aje, its owners and controllers are Africana women. Because it is an African female power, and due to its invisibility, ubiquity, and profundity, Aje is often maligned as witchcraft. However, as Teresa N. Washington reveals in Our Mothers, Our Powers, Our Texts, Aje is central to the Yoruba ethos, worldview, and cosmology. Not only is it essential to human creation and artistic creativity, but as a force of justice and retribution, Aje is vital to social harmony and balance. Washington analyzes forms, figures, and forces of Aje in the Yoruba world, in the Caribbean Islands, in Latin America, and in African America. Washington's research reveals that with the exile and enslavement of millions of Africans, Aje became a global force and an essential ally in organizing insurrections, soothing shattered souls, and reminding the dispossessed of their inherent divinity. From her in-depth exploration of Aje in Pan-African history and orature, Washington guides readers through rich analyses of the symbolic, methodological, and spiritual manifestations of Aje that are central to important works by Africana writers but are rarely elucidated by Western criticism. Our Mothers, Our Powers, Our Texts includes innovative readings of works by many Africana writers, including Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Ben Okri, Wole Soyinka, Jamaica Kincaid, and Ntozake Shange. This revised and expanded edition of Our Mothers, Our Powers, Our Texts will appeal to scholars of Africana literature, African religion and philosophy, gender studies, and comparative literature. Devotees of Africana spiritual systems will find this book to be indispensable.
