Happy Birthday, Jamela!
Niki Daly
Hardcover
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Aug. 8, 2006)
What Jamela wants for her birthday is a pair of beautiful princess shoes. What she gets instead is clunky, practical school shoes. Jamela is definitely disappointed, but with glitter, beads, and glue - and a burst of inspiration - she transforms her present into a funky, fun work of art. Mama thinks Jamela's handiwork is a waste of hard-earned money . . . until a local artist helps Jamela tap the full potential of her spirited creativity. Vibrant illustrations animate a sunny and satisfying story set in South Africa about embracing the imagination and also about feelings and situations that often arise at birthdays and other gift-giving occasions.
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