A Card for My Mom

A child struggles to find a fitting Mother’s Day card as Fraser’s lines rhythmically describe the way none of the cards resemble the child protagonist’s parent: “If there was just one card to show/ Mom with her gold necklace, bangles/ and earrings.” As the narrator expresses a bespoke vision for an ideal card, Mom comes further into focus via energetic scenes of her selling pakoras at the mela, dancing the bhangra, and more. Yellow highlighting lends Kapur’s digitally painted pencil drawings a sunny look that suits the child’s bright-eyed appreciations. Though a store-bought card with Mom’s “happy brown face smiling sweetly at me” never materializes, a DIY alternative results in an affirming ending. Protagonists cue as South Asian; background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–9. (Mar.)