Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first picture book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, is forthcoming in 2023. Written under the pen name Nwa Grace James—in honour of her deceased parents James and Grace Adichie—the book will be released by HarperCollins Children’s Books in the UK.
Adichie wrote Mama’s Sleeping Scarf when her daughter was three years old, in 2019. The story is “inspired by the Adichie family and portrays an ordinary day in Lagos following a young girl called Chino as she plays with her mama’s scarf, spots her grandfather on his walk and winds down to go to sleep.”
The book is illustrated by the Congolese Angolan artist Joelle Avelino.
“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most important voices in literature today and we feel honoured to publish her first children’s book on the HarperCollins list,” HarperCollins Children’s Books executive publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said. “Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is a tender and joyful exploration of family life. Exquisitely written with compelling simplicity, this is a heartfelt homage to family love. It will be a picture book treasured across the generations.”
The book has been described as “joyful and tender.”