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Title details for Mama's Nightingale by Edwidge Danticat - Available

Mama's Nightingale

A Story of Immigration and Separation

by Edwidge Danticat
Leslie Staub
Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 2 copies available
A touching tale of parent-child separation and immigration, from a National Book Award finalist After Saya's mother is sent to an immigration detention center, Saya finds comfort in listening to her mother's warm greeting on their answering machine. To ease the distance between them while she's in jail, Mama begins sending Saya bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on cassette tape. Moved by her mother's tales and her father's attempts to reunite their family, Saya writes a story of her own-one that just might bring her mother home for good. With stirring illustrations, this tender tale shows the human side of immigration and imprisonment-and shows how every child has the power to make a difference.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 1, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501911163
      • File size: 5731 KB
      • Duration: 00:11:56

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 890
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Robin Miles's deliberate pacing, lilting pronunciation of Haitian Creole words and phrases, and lovely singing voice complement Edwidge Danticat's wrenching story of the separation of an undocumented mother from her young child and husband. Saya's mother is in "a prison for women without papers." Although her father writes many letters to judges and journalists, there is no response to their plight; Saya must be content with weekly visits and tape-recorded bedtime stories sent by her mother. One day Saya writes a letter herself, and the injustice of her mother's predicament is noticed. While there's no reading of the title page and barely enough time is given for page-turning, this production can also be enjoyed along with the print edition featuring Leslie Staub's color-drenched illustrations. S.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 15, 2015
      Danticat tells a serious yet hopeful story about a child whose Haitian mother is in an immigration detention center. Saya, whose hair is done up in tight braids with beads, visits her mother weekly but misses her terribly; she finds comfort in the bedtime stories her mother records on cassette tapes and sends her. Staub’s oil paintings temper the upsetting
      circumstances with bright colors and whimsical objects from the stories Saya’s mother tells, including winged hearts, dolphins, and mermaids. When Saya writes her own story and her father sends it to a journalist, the resulting chain of events brings Saya’s mother home. Readers similarly separated from a loved one may well find solace in Danticat’s honest storytelling. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Nicole Aragi, Aragi Inc. Illustrator’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:890
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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