On a rainy day when the house smells like cinnamon and Papa and Luca are still asleep, when the clouds are wearing shadows and the wind paints the window with beads of water, I want to be everywhere Mama is. With lush artwork every bit as poetic as her words, Cozbi A. Cabrera introduces readers to a spirited daughter and the wonder of her world as a special day with her mother unfolds--a world where differences are respected, nature is admired,...

Mia Valentina Amore loves valentines. After all, her name means My Valentine. When she wakes up on Valentine's Day, it looks like just another morning in the rickety old Amore house in the Blue Ridge mountains of Appalachia. But over the course of the day, her home is transformed into the House of Love. Mia and her mama festoon the halls, build a gumdrop tree, bake cupcakes, and most importantly, make valentines for all six of her siblings. But when...

The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.