A Song for Jamela

K-Gr 2—As boredom sets in over the long summer holiday, Jamela lies around, waiting for her favorite TV show, Afro-Idols, to come on, until her grandmother rousts her off the couch. At first Jamela helps out in the kitchen, but all too soon she gets in the way. Later, Gogo drops her off at Aunt Beauty's hair salon and tells her to stay out of trouble. The salon is a busy place, and there is a big commotion when Miss Bambi Chaka Chaka, a glamorous star on Afro-Idols, enters the shop. The child is as starstruck as everyone else. Mama Bula tells her, "Don't just stand around like a trolley in a supermarket. Do something useful." She is given the task of swatting a bothersome fly and, in typical fashion, she attacks her job with exuberance, resulting in a disastrous haircut for Bambi, who is asleep in the chair. Jamela saves the day by coming up with an ingenious, albeit temporary, solution to the problem. Daly's humorous and colorful illustrations reflect everyday South African scenes from a child's point of view. The illustrations, utilizing digital art, appear somewhat more stylized and with sharper lines than the watercolor art in previous Jamela books. A lively addition for most collections.—Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH