Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane (review)

Young Lalla longs to wear a malafa, the headcovering and drape worn by Muslim women in Mauritania. The closely patterned narrative, hovering between poetry and lyrical prose, showcases the reasons for Lalla’s desire: she wishes to be beautiful like her mother, mysterious like her older sister, and to be grownup like her cousin, who “saunters away with the women through the dust.” She finally comes to realize, though, that a malafa is most of all a symbol of faith, telling her mother, “I want a malafa so I can pray like you do,” and earning the reward of her own malafa and prayer alongside her mother. The second-person narration (“You want a malafa so you can be a lady too”) perfectly matches the earnestness of Lalla’s desire, and the device effectively serves to make the listeners feel as if Lalla’s longing is their own. The text is economical yet evocative, partnering effectively with the art to convey the details of Lalla’s daily life. Full-bleed double-page spreads depict warm village scenes, with horizon lines adding a gentle geometry that contrasts with the lively groups of figures in the foreground; the women in colorful and often patterned malafas (vivid cut-paper collage with patterning and folds drawn on) take center stage, their large brown eyes and smiling faces framed by rather than hidden by the fabric. An author’s note describes how Cunnane, who herself spent two years in Mauritania, once perceived the veil as repressive to women but came to understand it as a “colorful expression of their faith and culture.” In addition to being a beautifully written and relatable story of a young girl’s yearning, this could effectively introduce the tradition of religious cover to children new to it. A glossary of Hassaniyan words is included.