Spring is here, and our backyard is full of new life - including three tiny black kittens nestled in our wood shed. Whenever my eldest daughter and I are swinging together beside this blooming bush, taking in its newness and beauty, something in my heart longs to see my mom.
This pretty lady right here…
I love hearing about her day, then flipping the camera so she can see the crazy things my girls are up to in the yard. I know that she will delight in their wild creativity just as much as I do. Our deck box, in particular, is has given my youngest a literal platform for her imagination this spring.
My mom knows our wacky, wonderful all-girl world well because she lived it, too. Just like me, she had three daughters in the span of three years. She watched as our imaginations soared, solving problems big and small, and getting fancy when the day required it. Here we are at our most fabulous, in this exact season of life 35 years ago. (That’s me on the left.)
This photo makes me think of a brand new picture book, out this spring, which celebrates family love and childhood ingenuity. A fresh-yet-classic feeling story, TIARA’S HAT PARADE (Albert Whitman, April 2020), arrived in bookstores just in time for Mother’s Day. Isn’t this joyful pastel cover completely gorgeous?
TIARA’S HAT PARADE by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell, is a tender and spirited tale about shared dreams and mother-daughter love that puts a spotlight on the importance of supporting local entrepreneurs. What a message for this current moment in time, as mom-and-pop shops struggle to stay afloat and keep the hope. Here are the three things that I love about TIARA’S HAT PARADE…
A Mother-Daughter Dream
TIARA’S HAT PARADE is about a girl named Tiara and her mother, a beloved local milliner (or hat maker). Tiara is Momma’s go-to hat model. She dons colorful creations and struts around the studio for cheering customers, whose laughter jingles “like silver charms.” Momma and Tiara’s world of creativity and community is textured and technicolored, popping with playful dialogue and imagery-sparking simile.
But when customers slow “to a drip,” Momma must shutter her business and put her dreams on the shelf. Tiara is heartbroken. Hat making and selling is a dream that she and Momma share. In pages violet and gray with disappointment, they pack up Momma’s shop and box up the hats. But Tiara - who believes in her Momma and what they built together - can’t give up on the business.
Childhood Ingenuity
Momma gets a job as the art teacher at Tiara’s school and quietly moves on. Meanwhile, Tiara secretly carries the torch, saying silent prayers for Momma’s business at dinner. Then, one day at school, Tiara gets bold, suggesting that the art class makes hats on Fun Friday. Momma is on to her, but can’t help but be swept up in the joy of creating again. This gives Tiara a big idea.
We call it agency in storytelling - that thing you want your main character to have. The drive that invites them to rise to the occasion and change the narrative. Tiara is a character whose agency you believe wholeheartedly. Her investment in the family business and in her mother’s happiness are the heartbeat of the story. So when she sets out to bring back customers back to Tracy Rose Millinery, you not only believe her, you join her. And you may cry a little. (It’s OK, I did, too.)
Community Camaraderie
What does Tiara do? I’ll keep the details a secret, but let’s just say that she sets the stage for a celebration of her mother’s work, which brings people together and reminds everyone how much energy and life Tracy Rose Millinery contributed to the fabric of their neighborhood and city.
TIARA’S HAT PARADE is a story for moms and daughters, but also for families and communities. The feather in the cap of this fabulous story is the informative backmatter - a celebration of three famous black milliners (Mae Reeves, Mildred Blount and Vanilla Beane).
Those looking for a picture book to give this Mother’s Day should definitely consider investing in this story, which combines community, history and family love in one beautiful bouquet. TIARA’S HAT PARADE can be ordered through your local independent bookstore (now is a great time to support them… they need you!) and through the online retailer of your choice.
Kelly Starling Lyons is the author of many books for children, including the 2020 Caldecott Honor Book GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY, illustrated by Daniel Minter (Peachtree Publishing Company), the TY’S TRAVELS series (HarperCollins), the JADA JONES series (Penguin Workshop), DREAM BUILDER: THE STORY OF ARCHITECT PHILIP FREELON, illustrated by Laura Freeman (Lee & Low Books), SING A SONG, illustrated by Keith Mallett (Nancy Paulsen Books), and more.
Nicole Tadgell is the illustrator of A FIST FOR JOE LOUIS AND ME by Trika Hakes Noble (Sleeping Bear Press), FOLLOW ME DOWN TO NICODEMUS TOWN by A. LaFaye (Albert Whitman), ASTRONAUT ANNIE by Suzanne Slade (Tillbury House Publishers), REAL SISTERS PRETEND by Megan Dowd Lambert (Tillbury House Publishers), FRIENDS FOR FREEDOM by Suzanne Slade (Tillbury House Publishers), IN THE GARDEN WITH DR. CARVER by Susan Grigsby (Tillbury House Publishers), and more.
One lucky reader will win TIARA’S HAT PARADE, signed by Kelly Starling Lyons!
*** Win TIARA’S HAT PARADE ***
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GOOD LUCK!