MAYA'S BIG SCENE

Will a drama queen’s artistic ambition overshadow her ideals?

The play performed by the kids in Maya’s neighborhood is going to be perfect. Maya is absolutely certain of this because she’s directing every aspect to realize her grand vision of a drama celebrating freedom, equality, and respect. When the other kids won’t do exactly what the imperious Maya says, however, she at last realizes that a better world starts with her actions as well as her words. With each friend contributing equal amounts of creativity, confetti rains down on the triumphant, jubilant troupe. As with the first two Mile End Kids Stories—Colette’s Lost Pet (2017) and Albert’s Quiet Quest (2019)—graphic-novel and picture-book elements blend, with speech bubbles capturing the entirety of the dialogue-driven text. As the kids explore and define their shared goals of freedom, equality, and respect, Arsenault brings readers along on her social-emotional learning journey through expertly paced visual and textual storytelling. The whimsical illustrations employ a combination of charcoal lines and textured smudges accented in orange and fuchsia. These two vibrant colors confer importance and highlight emotion, adding a layer of complexity to the expressive characters. Maya is depicted with black hair and dark skin; of the six remaining children, four present White and two as kids of color. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-14-inch double-page spreads viewed at 83.7% of actual size.)

Simultaneously supports social-emotional growth and celebrates collaborative creativity.