Maya’s Big Scene

Maya has big dreams. She is putting on the production of a lifetime, a play about a feminist revolution of which she is queen. The only problem is – Maya is super bossy.

Maya wants to control every aspect of production, from the script to the costumes, and even the rehearsals. But, when her friends start to speak up and question her decisions, Maya has an epic meltdown. She lets her friends know whose queendom this really is, and Queen Maya expects total obedience and loyalty. It isn’t until one of her friends notes, “Technically, we are not equal if you are the queen of this queendom…”, that Maya begins to notice the error of her ways.

Told in Isabelle Arsenault’s signature style, Maya’s Big Scene is another standout picture book in the “Mile End Kids Story” series. This time around, readers are introduced to the ideas of equality and leadership and, through Maya’s actions, learn what it really means to be a queen.

But, without a doubt, the illustrations are what make this picture book really stand out. Arsenault’s distinctive use of pencils, watercolor and ink add an ethereal quality to the story while her use of soft pinks, reds and grays throughout add just the right amount of colour to make Maya’s queendom come alive.