This book is the story of a girl, Jamela, who has a birthday coming up. Her mother and grandma went to get her a new pair of shoes. She had to get a pair of shoes that she could wear to school too. She decided to decorate her school shoes; her mother got mad because she felt like she wasted her money. Jamela then collaborated with a neighbor to sell pairs of the decorated shoes. Jamela makes enough money to buy another pair of school shoes. I think this book shows how valuable money is to some people. I liked how Jamela went out and made more money. Instead of keeping it for herself, she gave it to her mom. Her mother ended up getting her the shoes that she really wanted. This book also shows that even though people may live in a different country, their traditions can still be similar. ( )

In this installment in the Jamela series, the issue of school shoes develops into a conflict between Jamela and her mother between "needs" and "desires." Of course, the ever resourceful Jamela finds a solution all her own. She will have the "princess" shoes one way or another! What I especially like about this series, in addition to the gentle portrayal of African realities, is the way that Jamela is allowed to express herself, but adult figures in the stories are also treated with compassion and insight. Expatriate African kids especially can reconnect with their cultural values and American kids can gain a more positive perspective on Africa. ( )

It's Jamela's birthday, and she really wants sparkly princess shoes to go with her new birthday dress. However, he Mama insists that they buy sensible shoes that Jamela can also wear to school. Disappointed, Jamela decides to embellish her sensible shoes and makes her mother angry. Jamela then takes her design for her embellished shoes to help earn money to pay her Mama back to replace the school shoes she ruined. However, for her birthday, Jamela's Mama surprises her with sensible shoes AND the princess shoes she really wanted. Jamela learns that she must sometimes take what's given her and figure out a way to earn the things she really wants. This story is extremely relatable to children, especially when they really want something for their birthday, but don't receive the specific gift. The illustrations portray Jamela as a very happy child who is surrounded by people who love her and are full of joy. Children can see Jamela as someone they could be friends with because her life is like their own and she is very friendly. The character development is intentional so that readers can see that Jamela didn't intend to ruin her new school shoes and wants to work to make it right with her Mama. The book uses the plot in a way that will help readers see that Jamela can be disappointed in her shoes, but understand why they must be sensible. The plot also assists readers in understanding the theme of the book, which is fixing what you broke, or making something right that you messed up.
Media: Watercolors, pen, colored pencil
Genre: Picture book, Contemporary realistic fiction (Jamela and her birthday wish is something that nearly every child can relate to. The story of not getting what you want and ruining something you thought you were making better could easily happen in the real world. "Jamela's heart sank. She LOVED those sparkly Princess Shoes! The saleslady came back with a pair of black school shoes." ( )

In this book, readers will see Jamela turn seven. As she prepares for her birthday, she finds a pair of “princess shoes” that she falls in love with, but her mother says they are too expensive to not be school shoes as well, so they go with a sturdier shoe. Jamela is disappointed but understanding. When she gets home she decorates her new shoes with glittery things. She is proud, but when her mother sees her creation, she does not share the same feelings. She is upset that Jamela wasted her money and ruined her school shoes. Jamela feels bad, but luckily found a way fix everything. She helped a woman named Lily create more glittery shoes and sell them. She earned enough money to pay her mother back, and when her mother found out what she did she was so happy and proud. I really enjoy Niki Daly’s stories about Jamela. She is such a fun-loving character who has the greatest intentions, but sometimes gets into unwanted trouble. One thing that I really love about this book, and many others, is that Niki Daly includes tidbits of another language. I think this is so interesting and fun! ( )

There are three reasons why I liked this book. First, the characters were very believable. In the story, Jamela takes her new black shoes that she got for her birthday and school, and decided to decorate them with glitter. When Jamela shows her mom, her mom gets really upset because she used her hard-earned money to buy those shoes. Readers could easily relate to this, thinking about a time where their parents or anyone got upset with them doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing. Second, the plot is very manipulative. For example, when Jamela’s mom was upset that Jamela ‘ruined’ her shoes, Jamela ended up starting a successful business with her shoe idea. I thought that after she showed her mom the shoes, that Jamela was going to get the shoes taken away from her. Instead, Jamela ended up paying her mom back with the money she made from selling shoes. The plot went in the opposite direction of what I was thinking, which made me enjoy it even more. Finally, I like that is pushes readers to think about tough issues. Again, Jamela’s mother was upset because she used her hard-earned money to buy the shoes and from my assumption, couldn’t afford to buy another pair of new shoes for her. This makes the readers think about how financial struggles are prevalent in life, even when just buying a new pair of shoes. It also gets the reader to understand that not everyone has the luxury to get what he or she wants for his or her birthdays. I believe that the main message is the ability to turn a negative situation to a positive situation, even when you don’t think it is possible. ( )