Yara.

The lower size range — 2T, 3T, 4T — is made for the years when the crew neck has to let the head through without a fight. The cut is loose in the sleeves so it doesn't squeeze the small bicep and straight at the front so the drawing lies flat, no creases. From size 6 on, the pattern grows proportionally: the torso lengthens a little faster than the sleeve, because that's how the bodies wearing it tend to grow. Sizes 8, 10, 12, and 14 cover up to the threshold of adolescence. If in doubt between two sizes, go up: Yara's portrait works well with a garment that falls loosely, and the cotton will shrink a little after the first wash before settling.

A child can be told about Yara without metaphors: she's an adult caiman who works with microphones and computers, in a room with the blinds down, because you hear better at night. She lives in a neighborhood of Manaus called Educandos, next to the river. She has a studio called Estúdio Igapó, where musicians record their albums. Before recording, Yara listens to them for a long time without speaking. When a child asks about the rings, it's enough to say that one came from her grandmother and the other she bought herself to make a pair. There's no need to add anything about the loss. The name *Mãe-do-corte* was invented by an older engineer who knew her when she was young; it means "the mother of the cut" because Yara treats the endings of songs with care. Children understand this well: whoever takes care of something doesn't let go of it all at once.