In this touching picture book, Malaika's dreams of wearing a peacock costume in the forthcoming Carnival are shattered when the money her mother hoped to send from her new job in Canada doesn't materialise. With emotions running high due to her mother's absence, Malaika is soon in tears when she tries on and rejects a tired old costume her grandmother had worn as a child. But with the grandmother's resourcefulness and Malaika's own bright ideas, the two of them re-fashion the freshly washed vintage outfit with donated scraps of cloth and coloured buttons to create a peacock costume the young girl is proud to wear. Collage-style illustrations and a text rich in vernacular speech patterns conjure up a colourful Caribbean island community. A glossary is included for some words specific to this locality's Carnival culture