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27may12:00 pm12:20 pm12:00 pm - 12:20 pm Malaika, Carnival Queenwith Nadia L. Hohn

Event Details

Malaika, Carnival Queen
Nadia L. Hohn

Malaika learns about her father, who came to Canada as a migrant farm worker when she was just a baby and who shared her love of carnival.

Malaika dreams about a man with a basket of fruit and guesses that the dream is about her father. Mummy explains that her daddy passed away long ago, and Grandma decides it’s time Malaika knew more about her father’s life.

The family drives to a far-off farm where they receive a warm welcome and visit the orchard where Malaika’s father picked fruit. The farm workers tell Malaika that her daddy had always dreamed of celebrating carnival there, just like back home. Will Malaika agree to be their Carnival Queen for the harvest festival?

Speakers for this event

  • Nadia L. Hohn

    Nadia L. Hohn

    Nadia L. Hohn, B.A. (Hon.), B.Ed., M.Ed., M.F.A. is a multilingual, award-winning author of several books for young people, including Getting Us to Grandma’s (Groundwood Books, 2024), A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice (Owlkids, 2019), Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter (HarperKids, 2018), and the Malaika series. Her first picture book, Malaika’s Costume (Groundwood Books, 2016) was the 2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway and featured as a float in the 117th Original Santa Claus Parade. Nadia had two books released in 2023: Malaika, Carnival Queen, her fourth book in the Malaika series on May 2 and her edited anthology, The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) on September 12.  Nadia’s latest book Patty Dreams (Owlkids, 2025) was nominated for a 2026 Blue Spruce Award (Forest of Reading).  Her twelfth book, STOP ANTIBLACK RACISM: 8 Ways to Act Now, will be released on October 13, 2026.  Nadia is an “artivist” who wants to make sure that all young people see themselves in books. She has presented all over the world, most recently in Ireland.  Nadia’s semi-autobiographical play Wheel and Turn premiered at the 2025 Windsor Fringe Festival.  When she’s not lost in a story or concocting a tasty vegetarian dish, she is likely spending time in music and the arts or daydreaming about her next adventure. Nadia is a music teacher and librarian in an elementary school and creative writing instructor at post-secondary institutions in Toronto where she also lives.

    URL http://www.nadialhohn.com

Partners

Accessibility Sponsor: Groundwood Books