Maisie’s Scrapbook

Maisie’s Scrapbook isn’t a scrapbook at all. Instead, it shows the family of a little girl named Maisie. Maisie’s parents come from different backgrounds, and Maisie is bi-racial. Her father, Dada, comes from Ghana. He cooks foods from Africa, like jollof rice, and he tells her stories from Africa, like about Ananse the spider. The pictures in the book show us Maisie and her mama and dada. They play different instruments, and they speak different languages, and they cook different foods.

The illustrations are good, with cheerful, bright colors. I like Maisie. At the beginning and end pages of the book are Maisie’s drawings of her family. I guess that’s her scrapbook! This book doesn’t really tell a story but shows us pictures from Maisie’s life. People who have heard Ananse stories will like to imagine themselves as heroes in Dada’s stories, just like Maisie does. Maisie’s family is really nice. Maisie looks happy because her parents love her and she has a happy life. Bi-racial kids need stories that show their families too.