Leila and the Voice

Via immersive artwork and emotive prose, Maydani explores what it takes to be resilient in the face of big emotions. When an ominous “mad cloud” of darkening scribbles grows to fill the page, young Leila, who reads as Black, flees into a forest, worriedly sitting “lost and alone,” until a constrained whisper can be heard. After Leila works to free it, the voice—characterized as a large magenta beast inscribed with petroglyph-like etching—“grows brave enough to meet her,” and the pair soon bond. With the return of the mad cloud, Leila transforms her companion into a battle-ready “sea serpent,” and the duo confront the foe—the voice becoming a source of significant reassurance. Bold scratchboard etchings, combined with chalk, pastel, and watercolor, throb with a vibrant coloring that’s well-matched to wild, overgrown jungle scenes. The unruly nature of the illustrations goes far in conveying the emotional struggle communicated by sometimes conceptual text. In a closing scene, Leila glows, striding across the page with an empowered confidence—an inspiring end note to a story that resonates with emotional depth. Ages 4–8. (July)