Jamela's Dress

Niki Daly has won many awards for his exuberant work. His groundbreaking Not So fast Songololo (1986), winner of a U.S Parent's Choice Award, paved the way for post-apartheid South African children's books. Since then, he has been published across the globe and has visited and presented talks in several countries. Among his many Frances Lincoln books, Once Upon a Time was an Honor Winner in the US Children's Africana Book Awards of 2004. Jamela's Dress - first in the Jamela series - was another milestone book, chosen by the ALA as a Notable Children's Book and by Booklist as one of the Top 10 African American Picture Books of 2000, and winning both the Children's Literature Choice Award and the Parent's Choice Silver Award. Niki lives with his wife, the illustrator Jude Daly, in Mowbray, a bustling Cape Town suburb.

A delicious book full of noisy warmth ... Nick Daly's rhythmical musical language perfectly complements the bold pictures, the two merging together to form a vibrant beat of African expression || Bursting with life and charm ... Daly's depiction of South African town life is akin to the best kinds of travel illustration; it makes you want to walk right down the streets || This wonderful story set in South Africa tells how Jamela gets carried away by the gorgeous material her mother buys to make a dress to wear at Thelma' s wedding. Wrapping it around herself, she shows it off to all her friends. How beautiful it is and how beautiful she is in it. But parading the material around in front of her friends gets it damaged and Jamela feels terrible when she realises what she' s done. Luckily, there' s a happy ending for all in this warm-hearted story about a special occasion within a community || In this busy and engaging tale, Niki Daly has captured a reflection of multicultural, modern South Africa. Told through the persepective of a child, Jamela's dance through the streets tells a larger story of acceptance and change.