The Small Things by Daisy Mahfooz

A Sibling Story to Savor and Remember

Steeped in Indian culture like a spicy chai, this book will whisk you away to a small village in India where the reader simmers and soaks in the sights, sounds, tastes and feelings of a world that feels far away but is so intimate and accessible. No, the village is not real, but the dusty roads leading to Dhingori will transport you to the fragrant mango and rice fields of this tight knit community where everyone seems to know everyone.

Mahfooz infuses poetry throughout the book. These nuggets of wisdom and heartfelt aphorisms propel the story of young Aadi and his brother Bali who live with their parents, until one day everything changes. These so-called “small things” that lead to bigger things brought me much pleasure as a reader, and I highly recommend this debut novel from an author I hope to hear more from.

Read Your World book haul: I won!

The Three-Year Tumble
by
Dayeon Auh
Translated by Tim Mohr

My 2024 Year in Books

Find my read and (mostly) reviewed books from 2024 here.

Review: The Girl, the Gate, and the Dragon by Grace Lin

Meet Jin. Jin is a spirited stone known as a Gongshi. Jin is part of a stone sculpture at the Old City Gate, an ornate arch. Jin is a lion cub, and his parents are part of the sculpture along with a ball, a sacred sphere. When Jin has the chance to sub in at a zuqiu game, he is so excited he practices all week. His father is not excited. Gongshi have responsibilities to watch over people and guide them when they can help – it is both a responsibility and an honor. Jin finds watching over people boring. He wants to play zuqiu and get a golden goal. Little does Jin know, but his zuqiu dreams will be dashed by an emergency that will stop everyone in their tracks.

This story of stories reveals the power of interconnected family and friends in a race against an evil dragon. The book’s strength is in the way it reveals Jin’s emotional journey both inside himself as he learns to notice others and becomes less selfish, as well as his journey to find what he has lost and reunite with those he pushed away.

The author’s signature art complements the text with several full page, colored drawings as well as smaller line drawings at the beginning and ends of chapters.

Readers will celebrate this latest offering by the Newbery Honor Award-winning author! If this sounds like the book for you, preorder it here: https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor

Book Review: Multicultural Children's Book Day

Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love by Rashin Kheiriyeh
NorthSouth Books

This picture book biography of the renowned Sufi mystic, Rumi, is a feast for the eyes and heart. Iranian-born author and illustrator Kheiriyeh has penned a colorful tribute to this most famous of poets. Beginning with his birth in 1207 in Balkh Province in what was Iran at the time, the book follows young Rumi and his parents as they indulged his interests in the natural world and encouraged him to learn from even the sun. Rumi’s father is quoted, saying “‘Learn generosity from the sun. It lights the world every day and asks for nothing in return.’” Rumi’s love of books and stories is highlighted, and one in particular about birds and the myth of the Simurgh is especially noted. Hundreds of birds make a long trip to find a king they want to be their own. When only the last thirty birds reach their destination, they realize that their group formation is the Simurgh they are seeking. Kheiriyeh explains that Simurgh translates to “thirty birds,” and her accompanying art flies off the page as the dreamy-eyed Rumi holds his book imagining the colorful flock of birds creating one huge bird flying out of his book.

Rumi’s scholarly days in Turkey show his transition to becoming a famous teacher, and finally his friendship with the Persian religious man Shams. Rumi is pictured dancing and spinning in the dervish style with children circling about in their tall hats and white-skirted cloaks, as he comes to terms with the mysterious tension between Rumi’s jealous students and Shams’ sudden disappearance. Rumi is visited in a dream by his mother and told to write his story, and the text mentions “The Masnavi” that took so long to write and finally Rumi is pictured with a long, white beard creating his book and sharing it with children.

The book concludes with a short author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book and personal love for Rumi’s writing, and also contains a half page of historical content about Rumi as well as a very brief bibliography.

This book will entrance those who know of Rumi as well as those who do not. Written and presented in this simplified format, students of all ages will find a compelling introduction to this important cultural icon. Be prepared to seek out Rumi’s poetry after reading this book!

I was provided a free and pre-publication print copy of this book as part of promotion for Read Your World Day and in exchange for an honest review.

#readyourworld #kidlit

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Book Review: Multicultural Children's Book Day 2024

My Favorite Memories by Sepideh Sarihi , Julie Völk (Illustrator) Blue Dot Kids Press A child's favorite things have to fit in the suitcase her parents give her as the family prepares to move to another country. The girl realizes she can't take her aquarium. She can't take her friend or the bus driver who sings songs on the bus. She tells her mother she cannot go. Black line drawings with some colored items here and there give this emotional story just the right balance of somber tone and sanguine feeling. The child puts pieces of her past in bottles (since her suitcase cannot contain all she wants to bring with her to her new home) and sends them out to sea noting that the ocean is everywhere. Readers see the child in her new home with the red bike her father gives her, so she can go see the ocean there too. A pensive sort of waiting concludes the book as the child watches for the bottles. A touching and heartfelt immigration story that children will relate to. I was provided a free digital copy by the publisher of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. #readyourworld #kidlit

Broccoli Bilingual Kids Book Series

Looking to introduce children to a new language?  These bilingual books are perfect for Multicultural Children's Book Day or any day!

Little Frog Doesn’t Listen / Two Brothers  from Broccolireads.com

This softcover bilingual flip book has English on one page and Chinese on the facing page.  One side of the book tells the story of a busy little frog who doesn’t listen to his mother.  When the mother asks for a broom, baby frog brings a mop.  Mrs. Frog tries sending baby frog on an errand to a neighbor’s house to collect plates, but baby frog forgets and plays at the park.  Mrs. Frog loses her energy and gets very sick.  Eventually, baby frog gets hungry, but his mother cannot feed him she is so sick.  One day she dies and baby frog is remorseful for his poor behavior, and ends up burying his mother by the pond as she asked.  Little does he know that on her death bed she didn’t expect the troublemaker to follow her directions, so she told him the opposite of what she hoped which was to be buried on the mountain.  The mother’s grave washes away, and the son cries to realize that she told him to do the opposite of what she wished.  Dramatic artwork shows Mrs. Frog and the baby frog crying and sad eyed on many of the pages.  Children may learn a lesson from the book, though it is more serious in tone than many children will appreciate.  Families looking for a simple book to practice language learning may find the book more engaging than monolingual readers.  

On the flip side of the same book is the story of Two Brothers.  This side of the book is also English and Chinese on the facing pages from each other.  The story tells of two brothers, one poor and kind and the other well off and mean.  (This reads more like a traditional folktale than the flip side frog story.)  The poor brother and his family maintain their kind ways despite hardships, and one day the man helps a broken-winged bird heal.  When it flies away and returns, the bird has a seed in its beak for brother Heungbu.  Henungbu’s wife plants the seed and a vine of gourds is produced, and each gourd is filled with riches.  The other brother, Nolbu, sees this and is drawn into a jealous plot.  He too decides to help an injured bird, but Nolbu injures the bird himself before trying to heal it.  Animated and exaggerated illustrations support the text and will draw readers’ attention.  The mean brother does indeed get a seed from his bird, but it doesn’t produce as he hopes and as his brother’s seed did.  

This same book is available in and identical English and Spanish bilingual version.  An online app is available with one story in six languages entitled Magical Millstone.  The app offers the story in English, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and French.  Readers can enjoy the story read aloud for them or text-only.    For more info go to readbroccoli.com.