A Kite for Melia

by Samuel Narh, Freda Narh, Valeria Suria (Illustrator)

Overview

About the Authors

Samuel Narh is an award-winning children's book author. Maisie's Scrapbook and Elle of Portuana are two of his books. He enjoys painting pictures with words using his stories, which are meant to touch and reach people across the world.

 

Freda Narh enjoys collecting children's books. She was born and raised in Mississippi, and she is a graduate of Ole Miss. She loves being a mom to Merrit. She is also known as the Baby Whisperer, because of her love and magical ways with babies.

 

About the Illustrator

Valeria Suria was born in a small town by Turin in Italy. She is a full-time illustrator and has the soul of a painter. A Kite for Melia is her second picture book.

 

 

Blurb

There is beauty in determination and ingenuity. These attributes are evident in Melia, whose friendship and connection with Ginger transcends time.

A Kite for Melia delicately deals with the idea of loss and acceptance, using soft words woven with meaning that can be understood by everyone.

Melia's story is a universal one that will bring joy to readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734789713
Publisher:	CHASING A SPIDER LLC
Publication date:	06/18/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

03/11/2024

In Narh and Narh’s inspiring picture book, a little girl named Melia learns the value of persistence and acceptance. Enjoying a sunny day at the park, Melia sees some older kids flying kites and wishes she had one of her own. She also finds herself missing her dog, Ginger, who used to join her to chase fireflies. When she asks the older kids if she can play with their kites, they tell her to make her own. Stung, Melia heads to the library, ultimately finding an old book on the kite making that “smells like success.” Following these instructions, she constructs a colorful kite with a bow on its tail.

When Melia proudly returns to the park, the older kids tease her once again, cruelly telling her that “a pig with a bow still won’t fly.” With tears in her eyes, Melia bravely keeps trying—and soon the older kids are left speechless as her kite “dances with a rainbow.” Seeing Melia’s tenacity pay off will prompt kids to keep working through difficulties to achieve their own goals. Her success also has another layer of meaning, as she has attached a note to her kite for her beloved Ginger. Kids and adults will find this a touching tribute, particularly if they have faced or are working through their own grief.

Valeria Suria’s detailed, colorful illustrations center on Melia, showing the curly-haired little girl as she visits the park and the library. Both settings feel fully realized, with the sun casting long shadows on the ground as children run along expansive green hills and a variety of people gathered to read, build, and draw at the cozy-looking library. Throughout the story, readers will be rooting for Melia, particularly at this tale’s touching and satisfying conclusion that will leave kids and adults feeling more connected and encouraged.

Takeaway: A little girl named Melia builds a kite and learns the value of persistence and acceptance.

Comparable Titles: Jacqueline Woodson’s The Year We Learned to Fly, Jay Miletsky’s Ricky, the Rock that Couldn’t Roll.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

★ 2021-03-15
A girl’s desire to fly a kite dovetails with her grief over losing a pet in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

When Melia, a girl with light-brown skin and curly hair, asks older children if she can fly one of their kites, they tell her to make her own. She doesn’t know how, so she goes to the library to find out. There, she discovers a book about kites and uses it to make a beautiful triangular creation with a bow and long tail. At first, it won’t fly, and the older children jeer. But Melia keeps trying, and she’s successful and happy—because on it, she taped a letter for her deceased dog, Ginger. She hopes that Ginger will find a way to leave her a note in the stars. Married authors Samuel and Freda Narh reveal the story a bit at a time, interrupting the linear kite-making narrative with Melia’s recollections of Ginger and an expression of the joy she feels when she sees the library. Their language is poetic (“this aged booklet smells like success”) and balances the sometimes-challenging turns of phrase with shorter text and Suria’s large pastel illustrations, which capture the tone perfectly and use details from the apparently East African setting to enhance Melia’s world.

A well-told, offbeat story that blends themes of perseverance and healing.

Kirkus Reviews