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{"id":7590220628027,"title":"Malaika’s Surprise","handle":"malaikas-surprise","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhen Malaika finds out she is going to have a new baby brother or sister, she worries that her mother will forget about her. But a surprise arrives on Malaika’s birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family’s love.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s summertime, and Malaika and Adèle are enjoying playing carnival in their bright costumes, dancing and laughing in the sunshine. But when Mummy announces that they will soon have a new baby brother or sister, Malaika is unsure how to feel about another change in her family. \u003cem\u003eWill Mummy forget about me?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at school, Malaika is excited to see her teacher and classmates, and makes friends with a new girl who has recently arrived from a faraway country, just like Malaika. Then on her birthday, a surprise arrives to remind Malaika of the importance of family, and the story ends with a celebration of her family’s love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Surprise\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with the same warmth and charm as the first two books in the series, with Nadia L. Hohn’s enchanting prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, and Irene Luxbacher’s colorful collage illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nglossary\u003cbr\u003e\nkey text features\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4\u003cbr\u003e\nAsk and answer questions about unknown words in a text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3\u003cbr\u003e\nDescribe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2026-04-27T12:50:39-04:00","created_at":"2026-04-27T12:44:19-04:00","vendor":"Groundwood Books Ltd","type":"","tags":["age range 3 - 7","Black Voices","By (author) Hohn Nadia L.","CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3","CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4","Fountas \u0026 Pinnell Text Level Gradient N","Groundwood Books","Guided Reading Level N","Illustrated by Luxbacher Irene","Immigrants and Refugees","Picture Books","pub date: 2021-03-01","The Malaika Series"],"price":1695,"price_min":1695,"price_max":1895,"available":true,"price_varies":true,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":43459602448443,"title":"hardcover jacket","option1":"hardcover jacket","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781773062648","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Malaika’s Surprise - 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But a surprise arrives on Malaika’s birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family’s love.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s summertime, and Malaika and Adèle are enjoying playing carnival in their bright costumes, dancing and laughing in the sunshine. But when Mummy announces that they will soon have a new baby brother or sister, Malaika is unsure how to feel about another change in her family. \u003cem\u003eWill Mummy forget about me?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at school, Malaika is excited to see her teacher and classmates, and makes friends with a new girl who has recently arrived from a faraway country, just like Malaika. Then on her birthday, a surprise arrives to remind Malaika of the importance of family, and the story ends with a celebration of her family’s love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Surprise\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with the same warmth and charm as the first two books in the series, with Nadia L. Hohn’s enchanting prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, and Irene Luxbacher’s colorful collage illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nglossary\u003cbr\u003e\nkey text features\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4\u003cbr\u003e\nAsk and answer questions about unknown words in a text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3\u003cbr\u003e\nDescribe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e"}
{"AlsoRecommendedISBN_0":"9781554987603","AlsoRecommendedISBN_1":"9781773060415","AlsoRecommendedISBN_2":"9781554987948","AlsoRecommendedISBN_3":"9781554987603","AlsoRecommendedISBN_4":"9781773060415","AudienceRangePrecision_1_0":"03","AudienceRangePrecision_1_1":"03","AudienceRangePrecision_1_2":"03","AudienceRangePrecision_2_0":"04","AudienceRangePrecision_2_1":"04","AudienceRangePrecision_2_2":"04","AudienceRangeQualifier_0":"26","AudienceRangeQualifier_1":"17","AudienceRangeQualifier_2":"11","AudienceRangeValue_1_0":"P","AudienceRangeValue_1_1":"3","AudienceRangeValue_1_2":"P","AudienceRangeValue_2_0":"2","AudienceRangeValue_2_1":"7","AudienceRangeValue_2_2":"2","BASICMainSubject":"JUV017100","BASICMainSubjectLiteral":"JUVENILE FICTION\/Holidays \u0026 Celebrations\/Birthdays","BiographicalNote":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNADIA L. HOHN\u003c\/strong\u003e, B.A. (Hon.), B.Ed., M.Ed., M.F.A. is an award-winning educator and author of several books for children including the Malaika series, \u003cem\u003eThe Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes)\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice\u003c\/em\u003e. Nadia is an “artivist” who works to make sure that all young people see themselves in books. Based in Toronto, Nadia teaches elementary school and writing for children courses at post-secondary institutions.\u003c\/p\u003e","BISACSubjectLiteral_0":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Holidays \u0026amp; Celebrations \/ Birthdays","BISACSubjectLiteral_1":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Family \/ New Baby","BISACSubjectLiteral_2":"JUVENILE FICTION \/ Family \/ Blended Families","BISACSubject_0":"JUV017100","BISACSubject_1":"JUV013040","BISACSubject_2":"JUV013080","CommonCore":"CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3","CommonCore_1":"CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4","ComplexityCode_0":"N","ComplexityCode_1":"N","ComplexitySchemeIdentifier_0":"05","ComplexitySchemeIdentifier_1":"09","ComplexitySchemeIdName_0":"Fountas \u0026amp; Pinnell Text Level Gradient","ComplexitySchemeIdName_1":"Guided Reading Level","ContributorBio_0":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNADIA L. HOHN\u003c\/strong\u003e, B.A. (Hon.), B.Ed., M.Ed., M.F.A. is an award-winning educator and author of several books for children including the Malaika series, \u003cem\u003eThe Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes)\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice\u003c\/em\u003e. Nadia is an “artivist” who works to make sure that all young people see themselves in books. Based in Toronto, Nadia teaches elementary school and writing for children courses at post-secondary institutions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","ContributorBio_1":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIRENE LUXBACHER\u003c\/strong\u003e is an artist and author living in Toronto, Ontario, who has received many awards for her work. She has written and illustrated \u003cem\u003eDeep Underwater\u003c\/em\u003e, an Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award finalist, and \u003cem\u003eMr. Frank\u003c\/em\u003e, which was selected as a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her illustrations for the Malaika series by Nadia L. Hohn have been highly acclaimed, and her illustrations for \u003cem\u003eThe Imaginary Garden\u003c\/em\u003e by Andrew Larsen were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","ContributorRole_0":"By (author)","ContributorRole_1":"Illustrated by","Contributor_0":"Hohn, Nadia L. (CA)","Contributor_1":"Luxbacher, Irene (CA)","Description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhen Malaika finds out she is going to have a new baby brother or sister, she worries that her mother will forget about her. But a surprise arrives on Malaika’s birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family’s love.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s summertime, and Malaika and Adèle are enjoying playing carnival in their bright costumes, dancing and laughing in the sunshine. But when Mummy announces that they will soon have a new baby brother or sister, Malaika is unsure how to feel about another change in her family. \u003cem\u003eWill Mummy forget about me?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at school, Malaika is excited to see her teacher and classmates, and makes friends with a new girl who has recently arrived from a faraway country, just like Malaika. Then on her birthday, a surprise arrives to remind Malaika of the importance of family, and the story ends with a celebration of her family’s love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Surprise\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with the same warmth and charm as the first two books in the series, with Nadia L. Hohn’s enchanting prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, and Irene Luxbacher’s colorful collage illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nglossary\u003cbr\u003e\nkey text features\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4\u003cbr\u003e\nAsk and answer questions about unknown words in a text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3\u003cbr\u003e\nDescribe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e","EAN":"9781773062655","Height":"9","HeightCode":"in","Imprint":"Groundwood Books","KeyTextFeatures":"glossary","MetaKeywords":"blended family; new baby; birthday; Carribbean culture; black characters; French heritage; celebrations; holidays; festivals and special events; Canadian immigrant; new sibling; stepsister; adaptability; empathy; compassion; caring; inclusive; first person narration; child as narrator; figurative language; imagery; French language; Arabic language; patois; connecting; determining importance; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure","NumberOfPages":"32","OtherText_Long_description_1":"\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe third book in the Malaika series is an honest portrayal of the mixed feelings that come with news of a new baby sibling, but ends with a celebration of family and love.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLike the last two books, it is written in standard English and Caribbean patois, with some French and Arabic words, and includes a glossary, introducing young readers to diverse language concepts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Costume\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Winter Carnival \u003c\/em\u003ehave both been well received, with the first book ready for a third printing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","OtherText_Review_0":"\u003cp\u003e“[A]n intimate and culturally rich picture book.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_1":"\u003cp\u003e“[A] joyful read.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_10":"\u003cp\u003e“Hohn’s mastery of the craft command[s] a standing ovation.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCloud Lake Literary\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_2":"\u003cp\u003e“A warm portrayal of a loving, close-knit community.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHorn Book\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_3":"\u003cp\u003e“[T]his picture book celebrates the expansion of a family we’ve grown to love.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eQuill \u0026 Quire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_4":"\u003cp\u003e“An enjoyable, feel-good read for young children.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_5":"\u003cp\u003e“Malaika’s beautiful interracial family and new friendships make this story a powerful one.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eToronto Star\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_6":"\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMalaika’s Surpris\u003c\/em\u003ee offers a refreshing new sibling narrative … [the] joyful, textured illustrations are busy and inviting, like the other titles in this series, and the blend of English and Caribbean patois makes Malaika’s voice sing.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCanadian Children's Book News\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_7":"\u003cp\u003e“Much of our lives, like Malaika's, involves change and a newness of circumstances. But what \u003cem\u003eMalaika's Surprise\u003c\/em\u003e demonstrates is that, though newness and change can be stressful because of the anticipation of the unknown, the reality is often not as bad as expected, especially with the knowledge that others care.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCanLit for Little Canadians Blog\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_8":"\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMailaka’s Surprise\u003c\/em\u003e celebrates culture, friendship and family in a captivating, warm way.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCM: Canadian Review of Materials\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_9":"\u003cp\u003e“Written in a combination of standard English and Caribbean patois, Hohn’s work celebrates family values and acceptance of cultural diversity. Bright and lively illustrations by Irene Luxbacher add to the book’s attraction.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWinnipeg Free Press\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_ShortDescription_0":"When Malaika finds out she is going to have a new baby brother or sister, she worries that her mother will forget about her. But a surprise arrives on Malaika’s birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family’s love.","PrizeCodeText_0":"Nominated","PrizeCode_0":"07","PrizeName_0":"Forest of Reading — Blue Spruce Award","PrizeYear_0":"2022","ProductFormDescription":"EPUB, fixed","PublicationDate":"2021-03-01","Publisher":"Groundwood Books Ltd","Series":"The Malaika Series","ShortDescription":"When Malaika finds out she is going to have a new baby brother or sister, she worries that her mother will forget about her. But a surprise arrives on Malaika’s birthday that gives her more reason to celebrate her family’s love.","Width":"10","WidthCode":"in"}
ages 3
to 7
/ grades P
to 2
