Ornaments that also double up as characters for Jamela's nativity Little figures of Mickey Mouse and two African carvings, which are There is plenty of detail for sharp-eyed readers to look out for: the Particularly attractive are the large scenes, such as the school nativity play, the bustling street, and the interior of Miss Style hair salon when Jamela chases her chicken through it. There is no father in Jamela's home, and their Christmas dinner is a humble one, but everyone dresses in bright clothes. People, which are typical of a modern African working-class community. The language and names add to the authentic details of the setting and

Their meanings are given in a glossary at the end.

As usual, she is forgiven and all ends happily.The book is set in a South African town, and some local vocabulary is used, consisting mainly of exclamations which do not hinder understanding. Jamela has to fatten the chicken for Christmas, but they become friends and she runs away with it rather than have it eaten. The small amount of text on each page could be read by children of about the age of eight, while younger children will enjoy looking at the pictures and will understand if the text is read to them.The book is a sequel to _Jamela's Dress_ and features the same characters: little Jamela, her mother, sister, and special friend, the young Rasta Archie.

This is another colourful, entertaining picture book by the award-winning South African artist and writer, Niki Daly. Note: Jamela is responsible for fattening up the chicken intended for Christmas dinner, but instead she gives it a name and makes it her friend. The quietude brought on by this final acquisition looks like it might launch a problem all in its own-but the parrot offers an ironic solution: a lullaby of 'squeak, squeak, creak!' Ages 2-6.« Search again | Back to His elegantly fluid ink line and wide-eyed characterizations steadily escalate the comic chaos, until it finally dawns on Grandpa that what the boy needs is not yet another pet, but a new bed. Daley's ( Jamela's Dress) similarly recurring checks, polka dots and stripes, plus the patterned quilt on the boy's bed, create a sense of reassurance under all the frenzy. But the bed keeps squeaking and creaking in the lavender-hued darkness, and each animal adds a new note of misery to the cacophony, led by the boy's ' Waaugh! Waaugh!' British author Thomson's straightforward prose keeps the story moving, while her restrained use of repetition adds a lilting rhythm.

So Grandpa (who favors I-Ching patterned pajamas by night and a Woodstock-era wardrobe by day), decides what's called for is animal companionship: first a cat, then a dog, a pig (its dubious expression on the ride home with grandpa is priceless) and, finally, a parrot. The eponymous antique bed casts a pall over a boy's otherwise idyllic visit to his beloved grandparents.

What's Cooking, Jamela? by Niki Daly