A Kite for Melia

by Samuel Narh, Freda Narh, Valeria Suria (Illustrations)

There is beauty in determination and ingenuity. These attributes are evident in Melia, whose friendship and connection with Ginger transcends time. A Kite for Melia delicately deals with the idea of loss and acceptance, using soft words woven with meaning that can be understood by everyone.Melia’s story is a universal one that will bring joy to readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Grief, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 30, 2021

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story, the illustrations are exquisite.
As you turn the pages, the story pulls you further in to experience Melia’s ache for her best friend. She wants to join in the fun with the children playing with their kites but the rejection leaves her with a bitter taste. There is a resilience, strength and joy she finds inside of her that allows her to succeed in creating her own kite and move forward. The ending leaves you with a small ache but the sweetness outweighs it.
When I read it to the children, I saw the way the illustrations and story drew them in and released them to connect with their own experiences.
Thank you Samuel, Freda and Valeria for creating this special story.

[Laura Nihill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the authors for sending a review copy of A Kite for Melia! This is the third book I've read and loved from the authors. Each of their books features curious, determined, and resourceful young girls and the illustrations are always unique and beautiful.

I really enjoyed Melia's story. She is dealing with the grief of losing her dog (her best friend) and has difficulty joining in the play of some older children who are flying kites. Instead of getting discouraged, Melia heads to the public library where she discovers how to make her own kite. Melia shows resilience when the kite does not initially fly and soon even the older kids are impressed with her!

Children will learn about the usefulness of reading and libraries and the importance of perseverance. Young readers will likely benefit from adult support to more fully understand the interspersed sections that discuss the loss of Melia's dog. Thank you again to the authors for a review copy of A Kite for Melia!

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, dreamy picture book about grief, perseverance, and honoring your own desires even in the face of other people's disapproval. Melia, a Black child with curly hair, wants to fly a kite like the other children, but they won't share or help her. She goes to the library and learns how to build a kite herself! When her kite eventually flies, she imagines using it to send a message to her beloved dog Ginger, who she is grieving. My biggest quibble was a detail of the art-- the illustrator depicts children of multiple races in the group of children who plays around Melia, and depicts the skin of an Asian child as extremely yellow, so much so that it felt exceptionalizing and weird. While not an issue on every page of the book, it's something I'd want to be aware of and prepared to critically read through with children listeners.

Themes: You Can Do It!, Grief/Loss, Perseverance
Age range: Preschool-Early Elementary

[Rutuja Ramteke · Rating 5 out of 5]

👑 This book might sound like any other usual children's book but trust me it's not, even the title is so simple but the book is filled with so many valuable life lessons which are not just for kids but for everyone who reads it. The illustrations made me feel so much involved in Melia's world, she gives me hope and power to never give up no matter what!
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I feel this is a perfect book for everyone but if you have kids around please do a favour to them and gift it to them, they will not just love it but also carry it forward in their lives, inculcating the good values it provides along with subtle twists and vivid imagination through illustrations! Go for it. I loved it so so much.
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Rating: 4.5⭐️

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book a lot but there are some odd things about it. I list some here to be amusing while admitting that some of them helped me like the book more.
The story jumps from Melia needing a kite to her missing Ginger. Who is Ginger? There is a dog in the picture so we guess it is her dog but are not sure why she misses him. And why are the Asian kids so yellow? Also, when she goes to the library to get a book about kites, she finds one "hidden in a case" rather than on a shelf. And what does it mean that, "She discovers twinkles of beauty in silence; this aged booklet smells like success." Is using the cliché "smells like success" the right way to describe a musty "aged booklet"?

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Melia's dog, Ginger, dies, she's obviously sad and struggling. She sees some older kids flying kites and wants to join but they won't let her borrow their kites. She manages to go to the library and find a book about building kites and use hers to "send a message" to Ginger. While the idea is nice, the execution is poor. The illustrations are pretty, but I just wasn't at all moved by or drawn into the story. I won't be using it in story time. But, I do think this could be a great book to help a child process loss, especially loss of a beloved pet.

[Maddie Buell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations. A story that implies loss but doesn’t address it head on.

Summary: After Melia’s dog dies, she aches to find a new way to have fun. She sees other kids flying kites and decides she would like to make one herself. While making her kite, she is reminded of her dog and the fun times they had together.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl misses her dog who died. Some big kids are using kites but won't let her use them. No one at the library knows how to help her even find a book. This was disjointed and seemed like the author had a chip on his shoulder.

[McKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

gentle exploration of grief

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many emotions processed in this one -- grief, loss, feeling left out, overcoming. Another book about loving libraries.

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presents complex subject matter in a cohesive story while successfully avoiding random vignettes (yay!)-- grief, exclusion by peers, and self-doubt/resilience.

[Samuel Narh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kite for Melia is a winner of the Northern Lights Book Award for 2021.

https://northerndawnawards.com/2021-n...


Besides, A Kite for Melia is one of the best books of 2021 per Kirkus. See the Kirkus Magazine released on 15 December 2021 on https://www.samuelnarh.com/articles. Cheers.

A Kite for Melia won the first place in the 2022 Purple Dragonfly Book Award.

[Nazneen Akbari · Rating 1 out of 5]

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