Author & Illustrators
The Beautiful Layers of Me is a heartwarming story about a young girl embracing her cultural identity. The story centres around a family wedding and Ameena, who is excited to wear her new salwar kameez. She loves wearing it until another child comments that she wants ‘pyjamas’ like Ameena’s. This leaves her feeling self-conscious and worried about fitting in.
Her anxiety about wearing her traditional dress causes her to accidentally make a hole in it, so she changes into a dress. However, she soon regrets her decision when she arrives at the wedding and sees her cousin asking for help with her dupatta because she wants to look as beautiful as her mammy. Thankfully, her Babu is skilled at sewing and repairs her salwar kameez which makes her very happy. The other child, who simply didn’t realise what the outfit was, apologises and tells Ameena how much she loves its pretty layers.The message of the story is clear throughout: accepting who you are, celebrating your heritage and being proud of your identity are all important and beautiful.
The front cover has a lovely textured finish and features Ameena wearing her salwar kameez. Before the story begins, the British-Guyanese author introduces several words that may be unfamiliar to readers, including gyal, nikah and salwar kameez, helping children understand and appreciate the language used throughout the book.
A wonderful addition to any early years or primary classroom reading corner.
There’s so much to like about this colourful picturebook: the lively illustrations, including endpapers; the different fonts which are almost as expressive as the text and conjure up beautifully the scents and sounds of Caribbean culture, the warmth conveyed by artful storytelling, warmth which derives from Faruq’s relationship with the characters who shape his culinary (and boyhood) journey; not to mention the addition of a recipe for lime cookies.
This is a story to make your mouth and your eyes water – as if witness to the work of cooking up a sumptuous family feast and then finding yourself invited too. It’s a book that lends itself to being read aloud in class or at home (and even more so if the dialect sounds authentic). It would also work well in a nurture group setting, allowing the children a hand at making some of the food and as a celebration of different cultures.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments