Happy Birthday, Jamela!

It's Jamela's birthday, and she and Mama are off to buy some new shoes. As soon as Jamela sees the Princess Shoes with their sparkly buckles and little satin bows, she falls in love with them, but Mama points out that she'll have to wear the shoes for school too, so a sad Jamela ends up with sensible black shoes. Alone in her room, Jamela tries her best to make the shoes look princessy with beads, glitter and glue. She only succeeds in making Mama very angry, but a lady called Lilly thinks Jamela's decorated shoes are fabulous. What Jamela wants for her birthday is a pair of beautiful princess shoes. What she gets instead is clunky, practical school shoes. Jamela is definitely disappointed, but with glitter, beads, and glue - and a burst of inspiration - she transforms her present into a funky, fun work of art. Mama thinks Jamela's handiwork is a waste of hard-earned money until a local artist helps Jamela tap the full potential of her spirited creativity. Vibrant illustrations animate a sunny and satisfying story set in South Africa about embracing the imagination and also about feelings and situations that often arise at birthdays and other gift-giving occasions.