A Story about Afiya by James BerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A STORY OF AFIYA
By James Berry and Anna Cunha
Published 1991 Reprint 2021
By Lantana Publishing
Age: 7-8
Page: 1 typed: 32 pb
Words: 336
"Afiya has fine black skin
that shows off her white clothes
and big brown eyes that laugh
and long limbs that play."
So then if we know Afiya is a girl, then what is her dress? Does it behave as a normal dress? Or could it be something more fantastic than that - something surreal?
"She has a white summer frock
She wears and washes every night
That every day picks on something
To collect, strangely."
For me the "drama" of this story comes in that last word strangely. That is when I buckle in and go along for the ride! For me that was a one word hook that carried me to the end of the story. So here is where I think Act 1 ends and Act two begins.
The middle section of the book describes just what is so "strange" about Afiya's dress. It's not a story with a definite plot. More . . . almost an anthology of Afiya's various adventures and the ways her dress collects patterns from what she's found, explored, and experienced.
P7-8
Afiya passes sunflowers and finds
The yellow fringed black faces there,
Imprinted on her frock, all over.
P9-10
Another time she passes red roses
And there the clustered bunches
Are, imprinted on her frock.
P11-12
She walks through high grass and sees
Butterflies and all kinds
Of slender stalks and petals
Patterned on her back and front
And are still there, after
She has washed her dress.
The next two pages introduce the 3rd Act. We know from the beginning of the story that Afiya washes her dress every night. But now we learn that the washing does nothing to remove what the dress has collected throughout the day. And yet every morning she starts her day with a magically clean white dress.
P13-14
Afiya stands. She watches
The sharp pictures in colour,
Untouched by her wash.
P15-16
Yet, next morning, every day,
The dress is cleared and ready,
Hanging white as new paper.
 |
| poet James Berry |
White as new paper, huh? Is that clue? I call it a second hook that keeps up reading to the end. It causes us to come back reading again and again to try and process what is happening here.
I call this the beginning of Act 3 because it does revisit Act 1 in mentioning that she cleans her dress every night. Some might argue against that idea though because Afiya just keeps on collecting new patterns to her dress. She doesn't loose it, or find another. It doesn't get ripped or need to be fixed or any of those things. But I'm not using "act" in the traditional sense here. I'm just saying that this book is broken up into the traditional three structures even though it isn't exactly traditional prose.
And to me in section three the things the dress is collecting become a bit more intense.
P17-18
Then pigeons fly up before her
And decorate her dress
With their flight and group design.
P19-20
Afiya goes to the zoo;
She comes back with two tigers
Together, on her back and on her front.
P21-22
She goes to the seaside;
She comes home with fishes under ruffled waves
In the whole stretch of sea
Imprinted on her dress.
P23-24
She walks between round and towered
Boulders and takes them away
Pictured on her.
I can imagine this book played in music and those last three pages are the dramatic climax of the music.
The ending is where I think many adults may be thrown. We are expecting the wrapping and the bow. We're expecting some explanation of how or what the dress is. But we're not given that in words. We are given yet another clue and left only with questions.
25-26
Always Afiya is amazed,
Just like when she comes home
And finds herself covered
With windswept leaves
Of October, falling.
Now before finding this book with my SCWBI critique group I spent several years studying surrealist writing. For me this ending was perfect because it doesn't explain the story or wrap it up. It leaves questions which does lead to reading, and re-reading the story. It leads to having the images locked into your mind as you try to solve the mystery of it. This was brilliant to me.
And I say the ending gives you no clues in words because the illustration does. There is a beautiful beat of silence and the last image probably spoils/explains the whole thing to my satisfaction at least, and possibly to young readers as well. This is an exploration of the writing however, so please find the book and read it if you want to see this last picture that explains it all! Buy it if you love it as much as I do and support the author.
Re-readability
My writer's group didn't think children would enjoy this book because it's so lofty and poetic. They didn't believe any of their kids would enjoy it, and didn't think they'd enjoy reading it over and over.
However, my little girl, who was only eighteen months old when I read it to her, seemed to enjoy it perfectly. She of course loved the beautiful pictures, but I also believe she enjoyed the sound of the poetry even if she didn't understand it all. I was able to use the book to teach color words many other simple words like boulder, tiger, flowers.
That is why as a picture book writer it is so important to adopt poetry into my life! I want my stories to be easy for parents to read over and over again. I've memorized "Is your Mama a Lama" because it's easy to read and say and enjoyable to listen to and act out.
Did you love this book? Or hate it? Learn more about the author James Berry here!
Support his work and that other poets at your local library or book story!
Do you agree with my analysis or do you have something to add? Please leave it in the comment section below and feel free to browse my other reviews and essays! Thanks for stopping by!